The Change of a Dragon
by IluLugal
Summary: What would happen if after sealing Trihexa, a change occurred in the everyday life of Issei? A change that will completely break him, a change that will put him into a new path, a change that would force the entire supernatural world to take him seriously? A change that will affect everyone, and everything in the world...
1. Prologue - Ah I truly fell to the bottom

Prologue

(Thoughts)

 _'Important_ _Words'_

"Dialogue" -

 **Attacks, Boosted Gear**

[Good Old Ddraig]

*Magic circle communication. Among Others*

* * *

 **Ahhhh, I truly fell to the bottom.**

* * *

 **—-Location Unknown—-**

* * *

 **.**

(So... Pitch black is only thing I can more or less see, huh?) - A young-man looked at his surroundings and thought with sarcasm.

(Great! My vision is blurry, my senses are twisted and my mind—well, just by the fact that I am speaking like this is proof enough that I'm not well!) - The brown-haired boy thought to himself while hoping that a certain someone would say something, anything at all at his comment.

Waiting for a little while, praying for the Dragon's voice to be heard... he instead got silence.

Praying. Kind of ironic if you think about it, knowing he is a Devil or well, _was._ Yet praying for the answers from his friend, what would others say?

But, how did he manage to stop being a devil? How could that happen? It didn't make sense! The Evil Pieces inside of him were linked to his body and more than that, to his emotions, feelings and to his soul! Removing them was akin to suicide! But the fact that he was breathing and sweating heavily proved otherwise.

With his vision returning and more or less stable, he remembered where he was.

A normal looking cave.

Well, you could say that if you ignored how awful the location actually was. It was filled with holes, cracks, rubble and rocks. A really a terrible place to be at.

Each crack was as long as an arm and the holes were of various sizes, from not bigger than a coin, to almost the size of a full human adult. How the cave was still standing and not actually destroyed was a mystery no one wanted to solve.

Leading into the depths of that same cave you could distinguish, if you had a decent sight, a boy with wounds horrible enough to make the best doctors pale in fright.

He was laying down in a pool of his own blood, inside a small crater not bigger than the boy himself.

If you looked close enough, right onto his body, you could find eight wounds in the size and shape of a small billiard ball. Among them, the most prominent ones being right on his chest.

Those wounds were three holes, all taking the shape of an inverse triangle. They were filled with blood that had yet to coagulate, and charred pieces of meat that were still falling off his body and onto the ground.

A sight that would make everyone think, ' _How was the boy even alive?_ ' Of course, that's not counting the other wounds in his arms, legs and abdomen respectively.

"Shit! Just how did that happen?! I mean, Ddraig did tell me how my own power and the Pieces started to fight among each other, but I never thought it would be that violent!" - He was shocked to say the least.

"Well, at least I managed to get rid of them... " - With an exhausted voice the boy said to himself as he tried to stand up, but failing every attempt he did. His body was far too damaged to do something, at least, for now.

"Haaa..." - He sighed while giving up. - "It seems that I need to stay still until _this_ starts acting up."

The boy then gazed at his body, he was being covered with a really difficult to explain, ' _substance'._

The substance was jet black in color with a tiny bit of red, glowing with an eerie purple light at small intervals. It moved as if it had a mind of its own and looked soft to the touch. However, the atmosphere of the substance itself was heavy and made the surrounding area experience a decrease in temperature.

This ' _Darkness'_ , as he decided to call it, was something he gained that fateful day a few Months ago, a Friday if his memory wasn't wrong. According to the information he and Ddraig managed to figure out, this was the manifestation of his Draconian Power.

When Ddraig told him that with a voice filled with pride and glee he made a stupid expression. He didn't really understand what it meant.

After the loud laugh of his Partner, the Dragon calmed himself down and started to explain, something he truly was grateful for.

According to his explanation, every Dragon whether High or Low Class has something that differentiates themselves from other Dragons and other species in general. That being, the manifestation of their Aura!

Not undestanding much about it, he asked the Dragon to simplify it for him. Knowing that his Partner wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, he explained it with simple words and simple terms.

Every Dragon has something called Aura. You could call it the nucleus of every Dragon, their Heart and the source of their powers, so to speak.

Once a Dragon manages to grow to an extremely old age, or experiences something that manages to change his or her own Psyche. Then, their Aura would change and they would gain certain... characteristics, each one different from other Dragons.

Those same characteristics would then help the Dragon grow at a monstrous pace even among their own kind, and gift them a certain advantage over pretty much everyone.

Remebering what his _experience_ or _experiences_ were, he did think that he changed from back then. Of course, not for the good.

He actually looked awful back then, destroyed from the inside out. And even at the same time his Pieces were reacting violently to his own Aura, poisoning him to the point he could barely move, making every step a torture in itself.

A chill crept up his spine when he remembered exactly what he felt at that time. Something he truly did not wish for anyone, not even for his worst enemy...

Shaking his head he started to focus on his memory of that time, the talk with his Partner. He needed to distract himself from the pain his body was experiencing.

Remembering the explanation of Ddraig made the Issei of that time widen his eyes, asking even more about it. He was really curious about it at that time and for once in a long time, he felt _happy_.

The Dragon decided to explain it more easily, and reached the conclusion of exemplifying what his words meant. So, he made himself as the example.

He said that when he reached a certain age he _awoke_ his Aura, making him reach the heights of a Heavenly Dragon! And the so-called characteristic that he gained from his Aura was, _**Domination**_.

A unique trait in the whole sense of the word. At that time it was also when he gained his first ability related to his Aura of Dominance.

His own flames, capable of burning even Gods to less than ash!

The Blazing Inferno of Scorching Flames was his first ability, but just with this alone he managed to stand tall and proud against any other dragon! Well, until he met a certain white-bastard.

The brown-haired boy remembered the Dragon's voice filled with sentimentalism, something rare in him now that he thought about it.

When said white-bastard was absolutely resistant to his flames, he felt excited yet scared, as someone just withstood his own flames!

The two Dragons started to fight against each other, not remembering exactly whether for pride or something else...

Since each other were inmune to their specialties they derived other abilities with the help of their Aura.

He gained the ability to double his own strength and transfering it to other things. And the other Dragon created the ability to divide others' strength and add it to his own, complete opposite abilities all just to counter each other.

Later on, in the middle of one of their fights, he managed to ask the White Dragon about his trait, answering that is was, **Supremacy**.

He laughed at it, saying how arrogant that was even among their own kind, but he found this amusing. He then asked for the name of the Dragon, Albion Gwiber was the answer he got.

Finishing his explanation he stated that it was of utmost importance to figure out exactly what trait does his Aura have. Something that up until this moment hadn't figured out.

"So Aura, huh? Well, unexpected but not unwelcome. After all, I need something for me to become stronger!" - With a smile filled with viciousness, the boy said to no one in particular. He then turned his hand into a fist and he stood up with slight difficulty.

Looking down unto his body he stared right at the locations of his wounds, smiling at what was happening.

They were being covered in this Darkness, blocking the wounds from his view. The Darkness gave the impression of a second skin and felt comfortable against his own flesh, like the cool sensation of freshly washed clothes.

Then he sensed how his Darkness healed the most obvious and painful wounds, closing them at a speed perceivable with the naked eye.

Wounds like that—even a single one of them, would take a team of a dozen or so specialized Supernatural Doctors and over 20 hours of surgery just to patch up! A wound like that closing almost instantaneously, as if it was nothing but a scratch, was ridiculous!

If someone could see it they would be shocked to the point they couldn't say anything!

With this, one could see just how abnormal his Aura actually was.

This was one of the Traits of his Darkness; Extreme regeneration and Healing. Although, whether it could truly regenerate a lost limb or not wasn't known, either way, he didn't have the courage to test it.

He shook his head to get rid of the dizziness and cracked his neck. Feeling the sweet pops of his cervical vertebrae.

"Well Ddraig, time to move on! Time waits for no one, lets make a trip to... whatever place is fine, I just really need to clear my head. Nothing like a good old journey to expand my boundaries so that we can finally take our well deserved break." - The boy said as he looked down to his left palm, waiting for the Dragon's response.

However, he was only answered with silence.

With an expression of concern and guilt in his eyes, he bit his own lip.

He knew why the the Dragon hadn't answered him. He had explained it to him before he did this suicidal thing to get rid of the Pieces that would have otherwise claimed his life.

Sighing, he decided to walk towards the exit, or well, towards the only lit place inside this cavern.

Walking toward the sweet light that made him feel butterflies in his stomach, he looked at his surroundings but...

* _Cling!_ * - A high-pitched sound echoed as his foot accidentally hit something on the stone floor.

Turning his head and looking at his feet he soon found something that made his entire expression change. He was pale, his eyes widened in pure shock.

At his feet, a crimson Pawn Piece the size of a pinky was present. It had a really malicious aura surrounding it and even some spots on the surface of the Piece had turned black. Just by touching it he felt how his vitality was drained and his whole body started to get exhausted. Bad memories came to his head thanks to that feeling.

Gathering his courage he picked it up like it was something hideous to grab. He had a face filled with disgust and a weary look in his eyes.

"...Well, if I want to start anew I need to move on from my past. Better put it back in a place where it can be found..." - Looking down at the Piece with hesitance he decided.

Turning back around he went to look for all the remaining Pieces, hoping for the best.

* * *

.

A few minutes later he stared at his own palms. Looking at eight crimson Pawn Pieces bathed in a little of his blood, tiny cracks all over their surface.

Putting them in the blood-soaked pockets of his pants, he once again looked around the place of his, _Revival._

A cave filled with nothing but bloodied, cracked walls, yet a single ray of light shone upon him from a hole in the roof. Before, this was a simple cave yet now, for him, it signified something completely else; a place he will never forget.

Sighing, he made a slight smile at the corner of his lips. Taking his sweet time to remember the scenery in front of him.

After a long minute, he turned around and walked away right towards the small light that was behind him. Walking in silence for a few minutes he finally reached the entrance of the cave.

The light of the sun had momentarily blinded him so he closed his eyes as a mere reflex. Moments later he slowly opened them, just like the ones of a newborn. He then looked at what was in front of him.

A forest in who knows where. When he activated the transportation circle he didn't specify the location, he just wanted to get away from there as fast as he could.

Straightening his back and looking resolutely at what was ahead, he walked into the forest. Right now he needed to do a few things before leaving on his journey, and putting the Pieces back into his house was only the first step.

Because he didn't want for someone to track him, well not that they would know that he was gone in the first place, he decided to do something back at home.

He recalled the words he heard that night from a certain number of maidens. Those words were truly what had finally _broke_ _him_...

Even now, when he remembered them, it still hurt a lot. Even though he no longer had the emotions and feelings he had, bad memories were still bad, and that scene had tormented his mind till this very day... However, he vowed that today was the last of those nightmares! Of those disgusting night-terrors that made him scared of just sleeping!

Shaking his head, he got rid of those memories.

"Well, let's start this shall we? This will certainly be interesting. I wonder what exactly will happen from now on." - With a confident tone of voice that sounded sharp and cold he walked onwards, light shining from within his eyes.

Soon they changed color, from their normal golden tone they turned jet black with a red tinge at the center of the iris.

At the same time a ' _Mark_ ' started to appear on his forehead, the same color as his own Darkness. This being the ' _Demon_ _Mark'_ , a simple side-effect when using his Aura, something simple that wasn't dangerous at all.

The mark started at the left side of his forehead, in the shape of an spiral that circled itself two times ending upwards and towards the left, almost reaching the root of his hair. On the right side of the spiral, there were three spikes joined one amongst the other pointing upwards in a diagonally way. At the bottom part of the spiral, on the same side it ended upwards, a long yet thin spike reached all the way down, ending right above the eyebrow.

At this moment he subconsciously released an aura that made the entire place within a 10km radius tremble.

Every living being in that radius started running away and even the leaves on the trees started to move and rustle. Light itself started to fade little by little, and coldness replaced the warm feeling the forest had.

The aura inside that place was suffocating. Even a High-Class Devil will find itself with the difficulty to breathe much less move.

The aura was simply that menacing and heavy. Definitely something you wouldn't want to be aimed with.

Walking onwards he reached the center of the forest, he then started to set up the transportation circle back to Kuoh.

He looked at his surroundings filled with beautiful tall trees and wet grass with a few patches of moss here and there.

While walking he remembered all the events in his life up until now, especially those after the war with Qlippoth and Trihexa.

He remembered the final battle and how, after a conjoined effort of all the Gods and beings with that level of strength, they barely managed to seal the beast in an especially modified dimension.

After that, many Deities went into hibernation, using all of their power truly made them weak. So many Gods, that before were actually active now were resting. Few Deities actually still roamed the world, that included the Devils, the Angels, and the Fallen Angels.

With his head occupied by his thoughts, he started to think about his future. He wanted to do something about it but for now, things still needed to be done back at home. Luckily for him, they weren't that many.

Soon after, the transportation circle was finished.

Looking uncomfortably at the red and black magic circle, he gathered courage and moved.

Standing at the center of it, he activated it. At the same moment he removed the effect that his Darkness had on his body.

His eyes turned back to yellow and the mark on his forehead was also gone. He didn't want to become a beacon for other beings back at Kuoh. He also didn't want them to start asking questions, so he decided to suppress his Aura to that of a normal human. This way no one will suspect anything, and arduous task but with good results nonetheless.

"Haaa..." - Sighing, light started to gather at his surroundings.

"Seems like I will need time to get accustomed to my body. It still fells wobbly..." - He awkwardly moved his arms. - "Ddraig also needs time to regain his consciousness. Well during this time period there are a few things that do not need special force, so better start with them."

Light covered his field his vision. However, before he left, he muttered under his breath with a sharp and cold voice.

"A new Hyoudou Issei has been born. Now World, lets see what you got for me!" - With a depredatory smile he arrogantly said.

Soon after he vanished from the forest, his next destination, Kuoh his ' _home.'_

 **END PROLOGUE**

* * *

.


	2. Chapter 1 - The beginning of the change

Chapter 1

(Thoughts)

' _Important_ _Words_ '

"Dialogue" -

 **Attacks, Boosted Gear**

[Good Old Ddraig]

*Magic circle communication. Among Others*

* * *

 **The Beginning of the Change**

* * *

 **—-1st Flashback—-**

* * *

.

Inside a huge bedroom with a King-size bed, at the centermost part of the room, right against the wall, laid a brown-haired boy.

The light that escaped in between his curtains disturbed his _sleep_ or like he liked to say, his nightmares.

"Mmmm..." - Slowly awakening from his dreams he looked at both of his sides

"This again, huh..." - He said that to himself with a tired voice.

He stood up from his bed, stretching his numb limbs.

"Now that I think about it. This room is far too big for a single person." - Turning around and looking unto his bed, he found nothing. Yes, absolutely nothing.

No one was here, something that at the beginning surprised him, but now, it no longer did.

Making his bed in an orderly way, he decided to get into the shower. Right now he didn't want to train, he wasn't on the mood, again.

Before going into the bath, he walked to the left of his bedroom and looked straight towards a dark-coloured wooden door.

Gathering the courage he had left, he opened it.

* _Creeeak!_ *

Another room laid before him the sweet smell of a woman still fresh inside, yet no one could be seen.

This room was no other than Rias Gremory's room. Big and filled with high-class furniture and a lot of expensive ornaments.

An elegant chandelier hung from the ceiling, the walls were painted in an extravagant pinkish-red, and there was even a huge carpet on the floor with the Gremory sigil embedded onto it.

Even the bed had it's own curtain, he believed those types of beds were named canopy beds.

It smelled sweet, like strawberries, and the bright sunlight illuminated the room, so everything inside could be perfectly seen.

Yet the woman he _loved_ was nowhere in sight, not a shadow of her figure was seen.

Closing the door to the room, he sighed.

"Not here again, huh! How odd!" - With a tone filled with sarcasm he said to himself. Anger clearly present in those words.

Entering his own bathroom, he went towards the shower. He slowly turned on the hot water while leaning forward, letting both hands rest on the wall.

He was completely alone, but when one is left alone with his thoughts one is going to wander around them.

He remembered how much time passed since the Campaign of the Evil Dragons, since the sealing of Trihexa and the death of Rizevim Livan Luficer.

Three Months flew by, yet the damage done by him and the beast still wasn't the least bit repaired.

Even a few extremist groups were formed to strike against the current government of the supernatural.

Well, the good news were that the human world did not know about it, the majority of it anyway. Something that big it's just impossible to cover up. This information was mentioned by the Former Governor of the Fallen Angels, Azazel.

But because of the incapacity of the so called superiors, like the 'Former-Governor' said. All the upper echelons decided to just inform them yet asked them to not intervene. They had done far too much, and now it was their turn to do something.

So the school life of all the Gremory and Sitri groups started again. Now being in their last year before College. Now was the time to prepare and find a career! But for the brown-haired boy, this was the least of his concerns.

Getting out of the shower and turning off the hot water, he went to the bathtub to relax.

Sitting inside it, he let the warm water and the odor of some bath salts do their magic. His tense muscles seemed to relax a bit.

But even with those things trying to relax him one could notice, just by looking at him, that he was in a pretty bad shape. Even the people that didn't know him much would be able tell that something happened to him, something bad.

His former buffed appearance was now mostly gone. His tanned, healthy skin turned into a sickly, pale white. His eyes lacked the luster the former him had, now resembling the ones of a corpse. Big eyebags adorned his face, big enough for one to notice the many sleepless nights.

If one looked closely enough one would find, in different parts of his body, weird black _spots_. They were perfectly round and similar to gangrene, but they looked... different.

These spots were eight swirling, pulsing, black circles, and just by looking at them one could imagine how painful they were.

Amongst them, the worst of all were definitely the ones at his chest, being bigger, darker and much more ominous. Especially the one located at his heart, that one seemed much darker, deeper and... eviler. Well, at least that's what Issei thought.

Touching the one located just below his heart, he said.

"I don't understand what did I do to deserve this... Was it because I am a pervert? Or rather just like they said; ' _Was I just a nuisace?' 'A dumb boy that is not worth anything?'_ " - Talking to himself with a sad tone he stopped touching his heart, below the black spot.

He remembered how he got these holes. This, _Corruption_ that destroyed his body the more he remembered _them_...

Lost in his thoughts, he remembered how they forgot about him. And at the moment he went to look for them... what he saw. What an awful surprise...

While the black spots pulsed, making him feel scorching pain, he recalled his worst memory.

* * *

 **—-2nd** **Flashback—-**

* * *

 **.**

Two Months flew by after the war. Now the students of the third year of Kuoh Academy graduated and went to Kuoh College Division. Among them; Rias Gremory, Himejima Akeno, Sona Sitri, and Tsubaki Shinra.

Now the Four Great Onee-sama's were out of the school and inside College.

In the beginning he was extremely happy for them, after all, how could one not be happy when your loved one graduated?

The ORC was still there, but it was different without Rias and Akeno, it was more work-centered. And the Student-Council was so busy that the time they had to spend with everyone was almost nothing.

Issei was now walking towards a huge edification covered with plants, flowers, moss and with a few parts of it falling down to the ground. For all, that building gave a really creepy vibe.

The road he was walking on was broken, and some roots of the older trees were seen in an entangled mess all over the surface of it.

He walked slowly, with his hands in his pockets and looking at the ground, thinking who knows what? But before he could continue with his thoughts, he was abruptly stopped by the voice of a good friend of his, a certain blonde knight.

"Hey Issei-kun!" - A blonde-haired boy talked to him with his usual pretty boy smile, walking towards him.

"You okay? You seem distracted?" - The blonde commented.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Just thinking that we have been seeing ourselves less and less these days, since Rias and Akeno-san graduated." - Taken by surprise by the comment of the brown-haired boy, the knight flinched.

"Yeah..." - But he nodded his head.

"Now because of College we see each other less and less, and because of the club activities and the unusual amount of Contracts we have to do, things do seem like that." - With a sad smile he answered.

Both of them talked as they walked closer to the ORC building.

Soon they went past the big, broken, creepy wooden door used to enter the building, and towards the end of the left corridor. Only seeing a double wooden door at the end of their path.

* _Creeeak!*_

Opening the double door they saw a staircase in front.

Soon after, they started walking up the stairs, grabbing the rusty railing that left a metal scent on their hands.

Reaching the second floor they went to the second door to the right and opened it. Inside the big, old-looking room was the members of the ORC.

Looking further in, the brown-haired boy saw two people he did not expect to see.

(...Rias... Akeno-san...) - He thought.

The room they were in was rather odd, the ceiling was really tall and in all four walls bookcases filled his view. On these bookcases some strange sigils were written on their surfaces, all in a strange language he recognized as, Devil Letters. That touch gave a rather uncomfortable vibe to the whole room.

At the far end, towards his left, one could see a black desk with a black leather chair. Four couches red in color were accommodated at the center of the room, now filled with people.

Seeing the two women sitting on one of the couches he was faster than the knight for once. Even speaking with a cheerful voice. - "Rias! Akeno-san!"

The two women hurriedly turned and looked at the boy. Yet something in their eyes scared him, he did not know what, but something seemed different from the way they used to look at him...

"Well, hello Ise." - With a neutral and even emotionless tone of voice, the red-haired woman talked to him.

Issei was taken by surprise by her tone, being more direct and even a bit cold.

"Ise-kun... it's nice to see you again. It has been a while." - Yet the answer of the Yamato Nadeshiko froze him up.

Nothing seemingly wrong with her words, yet he could detect she was different, at least towards him.

In the past she would have run towards him and hugged him, but now she did nothing. Even the smile she had was forced as if she talked to someone that she didn't care for.

The blonde knight on his left also detected something odd, but quickly composed himself.

Taking a look towards his friend he saw him standing there, not moving not even blinking. Quickly acting up before something happened, he spoke.

"Rias-sama. How have you been? It's been more than a month since we last saw you." - The knight calmly asked in a too professional tone.

But Rias didn't perceive the tone used by said Knight.

"Yes Yuuto. College has kept us quite busy, so I apologize for that. But since today we had a free day we decided to come by and check how things are going. Right Akeno?" - She answered.

Meanwhile, Issei came back to himself and was about to speak up, but was stopped by the answer of Akeno.

"Yes! We had free time and wanted to check on all of you, especially on Asia since she is the new president. But by the looks of it, she has been doing well."

"Yes, Akeno Onee-sama, Rias Onee-sama! All of us have been quite well, thanks for asking!" - The blonde-haired woman answered in a cheerful voice while smiling.

Kiba and Issei realized how she didn't notice how they were acting towards Issei.

Actually, for Kiba, it seemed as if she decided to ignore what happened, something that was weird coming from her...

Taking the word, Koneko spoke.

"Rias-sama, Akeno-senpai, we've been well. Even my sister has been well thanks to Yasaka-sama, talking to her about a possible job. Being an embassador of the Yōkai." - Completely changing the subject of the talk, Koneko talked about her sister.

The blonde-haired boy became suspicious, it seemed as if something happen to all women' lives and were trying to hide it from the male. Even Xenovia and Irina, that would normally talk among themselves were quiet. Odd quite odd...

"Oh! So something like that happened to Kuroka-sama, I'm happy for her." - Smoothly replying, Ravel talked from the couch at the left of Koneko.

A certain brown-haired boy walked closer to them, his bangs covering his eyes, obscuring them.

"Is that all you are for?! To _check_!?" - With a cold tone, he almost screamed.

Then he widened his eyes, he realized that his words were cold, so he hurriedly began talking with a soft and warm voice.

"Would you not want to talk more? Tell us about your college life. Anything at all! We have time, after all, it's Friday! Tomorrow there is no school for both of us, so why not we take this time to catch up?" - Knowing about his mistake of talking like that, he asked with a goofy smile on his face.

Kiba released a sigh of relief, but what came next surprised him as much as it was possible.

With a clearly strict and cold tone, Rias spoke.

"Yes, we only came for that _Ise_." - Her voice sharpened. - "We are very busy and later today we have a meeting with our class to check on some projects we need to do! We also came to tell all of you a couple of things!" - Dismissing the comment of Ise, the red-haired stated.

Akeno then spoke up.

"We came only to say that in the near future we won't be able to spend much time among ourselves. After all, right now College is quite tough, and being the future president and vice-president of our faculty only makes it tougher. So our senpai has been kind enough to guide us, so that we can take up their positions well enough!~"

Akeno spoke up towards no one in particular, but Issei knew it was towards him. Even the mention of that senpai was slightly different from the rest of her words, being flirty and sexual. Call it a gut feeling of Issei.

"Yuuto!" - Rias turned around and looked straight at her Knight.

"We also came to tell you, that because of recent events our Contracts have been increasing, but because there are only so much we can do, and since Issei is the worst of the worst at it, I need you to take a few more contracts in his place."

Kiba was with a face filled with shock.

"Don't worry there won't be that many so that it affects you studies, be at ease." - Rias said as he looked at him.

Kiba, on the other hand, didn't expect of her to just insult Issei like that! Those words where something he never thought that would come out of her!

Completely out of breath at the sudden insult towards his best friend, he did not have the words to answer back.

"I'll take your silence as an answer. Now, excuse us, but we need to leave!"

The two of them stood up and walked towards the exit, passing by Issei and not even looking at him. One could see the boy tremble in disbelief but he just stood there, not saying anything.

* * *

.

A couple of minutes passed and the only ones left were Kiba and Issei. The former worried about the later, and surprised about how things turned out.

He was even more shocked about how the rest of the girls did nothing, not even looking at him. Like they didn't know him, as if he wasn't worth anything in their eyes.

Waiting for Issei to come back to himself, he thought about the new order his master gave him.

Annoying it was, it seemed that he will need to make adjustments to his schedule. Training will be completely left out, at least for now, until he completes the new contracts he will get instead of Issei.

Issei woke up from his stuppor. Seeing no one except Kiba in the room, he tightly wrapped his left hand into a fist.

* _Drip.._. _Drip_...*

Blood came from his hand, slowly painting the wooden floor with a few red drops.

"Really!? Only _that_!? Two months without seeing each other and _that's_ what you say!?" - With a tone fill with sadness, melancholy, anger, and fury, the brown-haired spat.

"What happened?! Why has everyone around me changed so God-damn much!?" - He screamed from in between his teeth. Also getting a heahache at the mention of the holy one.

* _Smash!_ *

He punched the wall and made a hole on it. It wasn't that deep, but it still proved how angry he actually was.

Kiba could see how his friend was suffering, it did not surprised him. After all, two whole Months without speaking to any of them, as if they were someone else. And when he did try to go talk to any of them they would answer with an ' _I'm busy', 'Don't bother me now', 'Get out pervert!', 'Sorry, but maybe next time'_ so he wasn't surprised by his sudden explosion.

One could guess just how bad his mental state was. He was quieter and less open than before, proof that this did serious damage to him, and even his physical appearance seemed different.

But what could he do? He tried talking with him, but Issei just avoided the topic completely. Only by sparring did Issei get all those thoughts out of his head and now, there won't be time even for that!

Kiba felt useless, truly useless. ...What a friend he was... Kiba knew that speaking with someone else won't cut it, and the rest of the group were always doing other things.

Gasper was in the hospital with Valerie, waiting for her recovery.

Azazel-sensei was always in Grigori because of recent, past events.

The girls... well you can answer that one.

The Student-Council was far too busy with the school and with the project of their King.

Sirzechs-sama, Grayfia-sama, Michael-san, Vali, were all busy. Either with political treaties, damage repair, fixing their own territory, or with missions to help the cause against those rebelling groups.

Rossweisse-sensei was called back by the Norse Pantheon because of something Odin-sama asked her to help with.

They heard from her that it was related to the barrier trapping the Trihexa, and that she didn't even know when would she come back. She only left after saying goodbye to Issei, and after that contact was lost, no one could reach her. He assumed that because the work was far too important to let distractions in, no contact was allowed.

So in the end there was no one, nothing could be done.

Issei turned around as fast as he could, kicking the door open and saying to himself

"I need to go where they are! I need answers from them, and that little speech won't cut it!" - As a soul that ran out of hell, Issei was gone, leaving Kiba alone in the room.

* * *

 **—-20 Minutes Later—-**

* * *

 **.**

Issei ran as fast as he could. His destination, Kuoh College Division. However, he heard a voice inside of his head.

[Partner? What happened? Why are you running? Are you being chased by the girls of your school again...] - Ddraig talked to him mentally, tiredness present in his voice.

Issei stopped running and looked at his left hand, more specifically the reverse of his palm.

A green circle shining in a dull, green light was right on the reverse of his palm.

"Ddraig!" - He was happy.

"Partner is good to hear you, I did not hear of you in the entire day. But the conversation needs to be postponed, right now, I have something I need to do!"

Surprised by the severity in the tone of voice of his partner, Ddraig understood. Something must be, or will go wrong.

[Okay Partner.] - He agreed with him.

[But I will stay awake for now to see what exactly happened! Whatever you need, just talk, I'll be there.] - Ddraig solemnly answered.

(Thanks pall. I'll explain things to you as soon as I am done!)

Continuing his run, Issei decided to take a shortcut through the park. Maybe that way he can catch up to them.

Running like he just stole something, he swiftly went through the park and after a couple of minutes of running, he finally saw the ORC a few meters up ahead.

He watched how the girls said their goodbyes to Rias and Akeno, something he found odd.

(When did they start to accompany them? Why did they do it? Simple courtesy... or something else? Maybe they have something to do here?) - Shaking his head he left those thoughts for another time.

Issei then followed Rias and Akeno inside their College.

Ddraig was quiet, but he was thinking the same as his Partner. Being a millennia-old Dragon he knew something was off. Experience is the greatest teacher and right now he felt something bad will happen to his Partner, something really bad.

Before Issei, a big metal gate made its appearance as the entrance door, having a rather rusty and broken look to it. Walls of bricks were at either side of the gate all covered in moss, symbolizing that they were old.

Looking beyond the gate one could see a big building in the furthermost part of the complex, and alongside it, many smaller buildings which could be the other fraternities of the College were present.

However, not a single student was outside, and thanks to that getting in was quite easy, no problem at all.

Walking past the gate, he looked at the backs of the two women he was looking for, but instead of running as fast as he could towards them, he decided to follow them. Something about them felt... weird.

Continuing his "chase" the two women expertly crossed the campus.

Said campus being a full patch of dirt and grass with a few statues of what he guessed to be the founder of the College and other important teachers.

A lot of trees adorned the path he was walking on, he could identify some as rosewood trees thanks to their purplish flowers. Many other trees were alongside them, but he was no expert, so he couldn't decipher what species of trees they were. The smell, was of freshly cut grass and wet dirt something he expected about such a big campus.

The buildings were styled like the ones in old British movies. They were similar to images he had seen of Oxford when he was looking for universities in his free time. Maybe the founder got inspired by the British architecture? Who knows?

Being late, around 5:00 pm on a Friday, the students were gone. Just a minority were left for whatever reason they must have.

Walking towards the building he saw at the entrance, the pair of women continued their walk while talking among themselves. It appeared they did not notice someone was following them, a lack of awareness on their part.

Soon, they finally entered the main building that seemed to be their faculty.

They crossed the main door of the faculty and walked towards a huge staircase that covered almost all the room they were in. At both sides of the floor above them, balconies adorned the halls making it seem refined and high-class.

Reaching the end of the stairs they made a last left turn, and at the very bottom of the hallway, one could see a double door with a sign above it. It read as Student-Faculty in bright gold letters and encased in a wooden framework with intricate details. Clearly, someone spent some money on it.

Issei, still being at the end stairs, peaked his head out and saw how Rias knocked on the door.

Seconds later, a man made his appearance.

He was tall, around six foot something, appearing to be in his early twenties. His physique was quite big so he did some kind of sport, Issei's fighting experience kicking in made him guess martial arts.

He had shoulder-length blonde hair and blue eyes as clear as the sky, but something within them made Issei uncomfortable. Not that he was strong, but more like he was a threat to him.

Reaching that conclusion he continued watching the man as he talked to Rias and Akeno.

Soon after some talk, the man invited them in.

[Partner... something is not right. Something is just odd...] - Ddraig finally talked with hidden worry in his voice.

[Partner, I feel something terrible will happen to you. You should leave!] - Surprised at the sudden words of his partner, he widened his eyes and mentally answered.

(Ddraig. What are you talking about? Nothing will happen. Although looking like that, that guy is weak, pitifully so. Maybe around Low-Class devil, if not lower.) - Issei answered in his mind, but he had to agree he did feel threated, but for a completely different reason he did not yet understood.

[I know Partner!] - His tone exasperated. - [But something about that guy makes me feel uneasy! It's as if he will leave you so terribly wounded you might no be able to do anything else in your life!] - His words were serious.

[Just hear me out and let's go away! You can ask them at another time, or maybe even the other girls!] - Ddraig stated, worry present in his voice, but his partner was just too stubborn.

(Pfft! Come on Ddraig.) - He told the Dragon.

(Just a quick peak inside. I will hear what they want to talk about and after that, we'll leave. Then I'll wait for them at the entrance of the school.) - The boy stubbornly answered, but deeply inside he had fear.

(Quick, before the door closes!)

[Wait! Partner don't—] - Cutting the communication with the Dragon. Even cutting him mid speech, he sprinted towards the door.

Promoting to Knight he ran towards the door just before it closed.

Sticking his finger in before it closed, he made a gap big enough for him to see without someone inside noticing him. Quickly thanking his extremely good eyesight, he looked inside.

An extremely luxurious room stood before him.

Fine leather couches laid on its center. One big enough to fit three people and still have room to spare.

On each side of the biggest couch, there were two smaller ones, fitting for a single person. In front of it, a normal dark wooden table with three tea cups filled with recently-poured tea.

Further in, right against the wall, there were bookcases. The sheer number of books was enough to fill the entire wall. And in front of them, there was a big leather chair with an accompanying desk the same tone as the wooden table.

The ceiling had a fancy chandelier, while tall lamps with ornaments adorned the corners of the room.

But it wasn't the room that took the air out of his lungs, it wasn't the furniture, no. ...it was the ones inside said room.

That _image,_ took the entire life out of him.

Sitting on the biggest couch in the room were the two women he was looking for. But both of them were leaning their entire weight upon the man he saw before, with a blush on his cheeks and a stupid smile on his face.

Both women were wrapping themselves around him like a snake about to eat their prey. Their eyes were filled with happiness and enjoyment. The kind of happiness he had seen when he made Akeno reconcile with her father, and when he declared his love to Rias in the ORC.

The Dragon inside the Boosted Gear went wide-eyed at the scene, hoping his eyes went bad due to old age. He even went to the extremes of asking the dead God of the Bible for his eye-sight to be wrong.

Quickly checking how his partner was, he managed to figure out something on him. Disbelief appeared in his eyes.

He could not find anything! Not even the slightest fragment of emotion could be seen nor felt!

It's as if his brain and body just shut down, placing his entire attention to the scene in front of his eyes!

He also could not enter the mind-realm of his Partner, but guessing by the information obtained so far, the situation was not good!

Wishing to check again, he tried once more, but nothing happened. He repeated the process over and over again, but only finding the same to happen.

Leaving that aside he decided to monitor his Partner's body. A chill ran up his spine when he noticed how his body currently was.

[Just how could that happen?!] - Ddraig quickly screamed, but it seemed Issei was not capable of hearing him.

[Those things gave him his power! Damn! They even gave him back his life in the beginning! How could such a vicious reaction occur in his body?!] - Ddraig quickly said to himself, surprised and even a little bit scared by the horrendous reaction happening inside his Partner's body!

[It's because of THEM! How could something like this happen because of those WOMEN!?] - Anger filled the Red Dragon Emperor. His voice full of venom as he spat his conclusion.

He was furious! Those disgusting woman were actually doing something that horrible to his Partner!

[Partner! Lea—] - But before he could tell his Partner to stop watching and to leave this place immediately, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

Said voice, was of the man sitting on the couch. ...Right in between the pair of women.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Inside the Room—-**

* * *

 **.**

"Rias, Akeno. I mean, I know you both like me but please, not here. We need to check some papers as well as passing them to our professors." - The man talked as he blushed.

"We can do this tomorrow. After all, I promised to go on a date with both of you!" - The man said towards the two women at both sides of him, pride filled his voice and a smile filled adorned his face. How could he not be like that? Two of the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes upon were fighting for him!

Answering his question, Akeno spoke up in a flirty voice.

"~ _Mmmm?_ ~" - Akeno hummed seductively. - "What are you talking about Reiji? You want this as much as we want it. So, let's, take, ~ _a_ _breeaak_ ~" - Akeno muttered the last words with a sensual voice that made the now named Reiji blush even more.

Gathering courage Reiji decided to go for it. But before something could happen, an angry voice was heard right behind him.

He listened to the furious voice of the other woman by his side.

"Akeno! What do you think you're doing, trying to seduce him in front of me!?" - Angrily, Rias stepped in before he could try something.

Feeling scared of her he did not do a thing, he just sat there, not moving a muscle.

Then she said with a voice filled with sexuality.

"I will show you who is the best among us, ~ _Reijiiii…_ ~"

The woman started to move. She was slowly showing her well endowed curves, making Reiji swallow his spit.

But before he managed to achive her goal a voice was heard, said voice being Akeno.

"Ara-Ara, Rias. Trying to get on him without me? Sorry, but I will not let you!"

Throwing herself at him, she stopped the advances of the red-haired. He fell onto the couch, Akeno on top of him in a really easy to misunderstand position.

Rias, so to not fall onto the ground, quickly stood up.

When seeing the image in front of her she was filled with anger and fury.

"Akeno! If you do not stop now I will have to get him off you by force! You know I love him! So why do you always want the same thing as I do?!" - With a "nice" smile on her face Rias screamed, anger clearly visible in her eyes. Her emotions slowly changed her eyes into a red color.

Reiji felt a chill run up his spine and started to sweat bullets, but Akeno didn't even hesitate.

"~ _Ara-Ara_ ~ What do you mean by saying that I want him just because you love him? He was the first guy I met which didn't have a disgusting look in his eyes. He did not look at me like a piece of meat, really kind as well. Just look at him he is _manlyy~, good_ - _looking_ ~, and doesn't look at me like a piece of trash would do. How could I not fall for him?"

With a serious tone of voice the black-haired woman spoke up. Not knowing how impactful her words were in the good sense, and the bad sense.

Rias felt her blood boil at those words, but she knew she was right, that was also one of the many reasons why she fell in love with Reiji.

Calming herself down she looked at them clear headed. Something that surprised the both in front of her.

"Haaaa..." - She let out a long breath of air, trying to calm herself down before she did something stupid.

Once relaxed she looked at both of them, especially at Akeno, and said with a resolute voice. But for our brown-haired boy it sounded sharp, merciless, and dug straight into his heart.

"True the fact that he isn't a pervert, or drools over at merely our sight is truly a blessing." - Her voice calm and sharp.

"Much better that any man I had ever met, that's for sure!" - She asserted.

"It's also true that he is manly, decisive, and kind. These are also few of the reasons I love him! But first and foremost, is the fact that he is not dumb, naive, pervert like someone Akeno and I know."

Akeno furrowed her brows at the remembrance of that man.

"Certainly compared to anyone else, especially to _him_ he truly is above in all aspects! ~Especially in the looks department.~" - Akeno's voice was flirty at the end.

"I have to concur that him not being a dumb pervert, or a maniac obsessed with breasts is the greatest blessing we could have." - Finishing the comment of Rias, Akeno spoke with a cold voice. Unknowingly how much damage had her words done to someone.

"Also, its nice for him to understand our intentions and not to explain them with a big sign over our heads. I'm glad you figured them out, ~ _Reiji!~_ Truly something I want in the future for the man, ~ _I_ _loveee_ ~" - Rias told him.

"Well lets keep going! I need a kiss if you want me to do the work. It's quite late and the work needs to be done so, ~ _kiss_ _me_ _Reijiii~_ " - Putting her lips forward she begged for the kiss.

Answering her, he stood up from the couch and walked towards the red-haired beauty. Leaving a pouty Akeno on the couch.

* _Kiss!_ *

Quickly stealing her lips, he kissed Rias. The sound of lips connecting was the only thing that could be heard. But that scene was something that was burned into the mind of our spectator.

That scene of Rias kissing that man made the brown-haired boy empty. He truly didn't understand, Why?

Was it because of the words both of them had said about him?

Was it truly because he was a _fool,_ a _pervert_ , _naive_ and _dumb?_

His thoughts stopped when he looked back to the scene of the kiss. But this time with eyes devoid of any light, like those of a corpse.

The kiss quickly became more intoxicating. Tongues started to fight a battle for dominance.

After a while, the woman broke the kiss, she was in need of air. But she felt that compaired to someone he wasn't that good of a kisser.

Getting rid of the thought, she quickly looked over to him. Only to be taken by surprise when Akeno jumped towards him and kissed him even more fervently.

*~ _Kiss!~_ *

She was more daring that Rias, of that he was sure.

Quickly breaking the kiss, Akeno said.

"~ _HuHuHu_ ~ Really quite the charmer, aren't you Reiji? To make Rias ask for a kiss is quite impressive. But I will show you who, ~ _is_ _the best kisser among us two_ ~" - She leaned forward, she was searching for his lips.

*~ _Kiss!_ ~*

She kissed him for the third time, but she felt something was missing from the kiss...

However, the kiss became more passionate, being a sadist she took control of the "battlefield" really fast. But she decided to break it before the red-haired got jealous and tried something. That, will make her feel even more competitive.

Reiji felt extremely good. He just kissed two beauties! Two of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life!

He turned towards the clock sitting at his desk; 5:30pm. The time they spent talking and kissing was too much! Now they only had 30 minutes before their deadline!

Sprinting towards his desk he decided to start working as fast as he could. Noticing that, Akeno and Rias also looked at the clock and quickly started to fill papers in. Thinking of a certain boy, but erasing the thought.

They concentrated on the task before the deadline arrives.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Outside the Student-Faculty—-**

* * *

 **.**

Staying outside the room Issei was on his knees, recapitulating the words said inside that room.

He felt empty, completely empty. Just remembering those words made him sad, angered, and completely broken overall.

The scene of the kiss between Reiji and Rias was like a sharp knife, twisting and turning inside his heart. He felt his body go weak, his vision was clouded with unsheath tears, his sense of balance gone.

Standing up with whatever strength he had left. He walked away from that place.

Walking down the stairs, grabbing the metal railing. He walked slowly, painfully slowly until he reached the last step of the staircase.

Reaching the bottom of the staircase. He looked back up, tears threatened to come out of his eyes but they didn't.

Soon, he lost control of his body and fell down to his knees, he felt dizzy and started to hyperventilate.

* _Pant! Pant! Pant!_ *

Sweat formed throughout his body. His head spinning and his body trembling, as if he had spasms.

That scene, those words, just wouldn't go away! They kept repeating inside his head, over and over again!

But suddenly he heard a voice inside his head.

[..er, ...tner. PARTNER!] - The Dragon roared inside his head. Getting him out of those thoughts.

Grateful towards the Dragon he wanted to talk to him but words did not leave his mouth.

He heard Ddraig's voice again.

[Partner, answer me! Shit, Issei answer me! Show me that you can listen to me! Move your left hand up!]

Slowly, Issei moved his hand up. That made the Dragon happy, his Partner finally heard him!

[Partner, hear me out! Get away from here as fast as possible! Your body is not right!] - The Dragon was anxious.

[The Evil Pieces are acting strangely, I can no longer control them! Your power as a dragon is also reacting violently towards the energy released from the Pawn Pieces! We need to leave, quickly find somewhere peaceful and quiet!]

Understanding that the words of his Partner were right, Issei slowly stood up.

Suddenly losing his balance, he went towards the wall to have some sort of support.

His head became clear after what he felt as an eternity. - (Shit! My body does not respond to me!)

(I'm feeling extremely hot and sweaty, even my chest hurts a lot! What exactly happened!?)

Getting him out of his thoughts Ddraig answered his question.

[Partner it's the Evil Pieces! They are acting strange. You can no longer control them and they are releasing a terrible aura that is clashing with your dragonic power!]

[The heat and the pain are proof of that! We need to leave, quickly! Using magic or even the Boosted Gear in this state will probably kill you! So start moving!] - Commented the Dragon with a serious voice.

Issei made haste and started to move his body.

With every step he felt as if his muscles were ripped apart, as if his tendons were torn, and as if his bones were twisted.

He felt every single part of his body burn, as if he was just thrown into the burning pits of Hell!

Each step was a challenge, the heat he felt became more annoying. Sweat started to acumulate, dropping visibly down his cheek towards the chin and down to the ground, but he moved. He had only one goal, and that was to get out of here as soon as possible!

Making the greatest effort he ever made in his entire life, he reached the door of the building. He pushed it open while the hinges of the door made a loud noise.

Soon, after pushing the entire door open, he saw a beautiful scenery.

The green grass was now painted with an orange tinge because of the sunset, and the statues were shining brightly because of the sunlight. The smell of freshly cut grass was still there, but now it had a tinge of rosewood, that was thanks to the trees that were rooted in some places of the campus.

He could hear the wind howling and the leaves rustling.

A beautiful sight indeed... if he did not feel like shit.

Walking away from the building, towards the center of the campus passing by the statues and the other faculties, he heard Ddraig's voice filled with encouragement.

[Come on Partner! You can do it! After the gate there is the park you ran through when you first came! Lets go there. Your house is too far away to even try to go at it in your current state. Once in the park, I'll tell you about your body! Well, as far as I know.]

Walking past the metal gate, he saw the park. It stood like the most beautiful painting he had ever seen.

A dirt road was clearly marked on the ground and further in, it separated into many different paths, going to different places.

Many trees stood proudly at what he thought to be the gate. Because there was nothing, aside from the brick walls surrounding the man made park, he thought those huge trees pointed at the entrance of the park. Walls taller than most cars surrounded the park, showing that the entire block was a part of it.

Walking as fast as he could he went inwards, trying to find a bench to rest his body.

Walking by different plants, flowers, trees and even a few animals he saw here and there, he chose the right path of the dirt road that signaled him to go further in.

Not knowing what was expecting him, he moved his tired body until he saw a big fountain.

After what he felt like an eternity, he saw his savior.

Like the most beautiful women he had ever seen...

Like when he first obtained the Balance-Breaker...

Like when he defeated Apophis...

The _bench_ was firmly planted on the ground near that fountain, waiting for him to sit on it to finally rest.

Reaching the bench he noticed a bush behind it, it was big enough to cover the body of an entire person. Taking a look behing it, to check if something was behind it, he sat on the bench—just some mindless paranoia.

"Haaaaaaa..." - Releasing a very heavy sigh he laid down on the bench, wiping the sweat off his face with his shirt.

Trying to gain his breath back he noticed that the pain he felt earlier was now subsiding. Something he was extremely grateful for.

Turning his eyes to the fountain in front, he saw the beauty of the park.

Birds were chirping and flying in the sky, landing on the branches of the multiple trees that were rooted on the ground. With the help of the wind, the trees and its leaves were moving peacefully from one way to the other, and nothing except the sound of leaves falling to the ground as well as the sound of the animals, was heard. Not a single human voice or car engine was heard.

Really a peaceful moment in all this chaos he just experienced.

Finally, after his moment of courage, he started to break down.

Tears fell down his face. Blood was coming off of his hands because of his nails digging in his skin. He felt the flavor of iron in his mouth, and soon he started to cough.

* _Cough!_ *

He even spitted a mouthful of blood!

(Why, why, just what did I do?! Why do I deserve this?!) - He started to mentally, break down.

(Was it because I'm a pervert? A fool and naive being? ...Was it because I was kind to others?)

[All right, stop right there.] - The Dragon quickly made its appearance.

[Do not think like that. I do not know why they did it, but I know it wasn't because you were kind. So don't think like that!] - Ddraig told him. He hated how his possessor and friend ended up like this. He wanted to help him, but he couldn't do much. Just support him.

(Ddraig... Why you say that?! You also heard them! You also saw them! So please tell me why?!) - He wanted answers!

(Why, are the doing that with that... that... THAT FUCKER!?) - Furious, Issei asked Ddraig.

[I do no know why they did what the did. But I do know that it wasn't because you were kind.] - He explained.

[Sure, you are dumb and a pervert but that can be fixed. No one was born knowing everything, no one, was born perfect.] - He told his Partner with a serious tone.

[About you pervertedness, you can control, and dominate it.]

[If you are not manly, then buff up. If you're not handsome, then change your style until YOU, find yourself good looking!] - His voice was filled with pride, the pride of a Dragon!

[Everyone has an opinion. To some people you may be like that, but to others, the ones that truly care for you, you're completely different! Don't let their words reach you! Prove them wrong with your actions, show them what you truly are! A Dragon!] - He roared those last words.

The motivational words spoken from Ddraig truly did reached him, his crying stopped. Swallowing the blood in his mouth, he looked up, to the dark sky.

Seeing the clouds slowly move further and further away, he sat there on his bench for a while until the sun set down.

* * *

.

The moon rose up, changing the color of the sky to a slighty darker blue.

After all this time spent thinking, he found out that the words of Ddraig were right. Even if they went with other people, to another man, he still had others. Girls that truly loved him.

Even though it hurt him far too much to accept it.

After all, if you give up on life, then life will give up on you. You will only sink further and further inside the mud!

"Thanks Ddraig. I really needed that." - He told his friend.

"You're right, even if they think like that. So what? I still have others that do not think like them! It's impossible for everyone around me to think as they do!" - He finally regained his confidence.

The Dragon could hear his voice, now it sounded better!

But before saying anything, he felt some strong auras near them.

[Quickly Partner, hide! I feel multiple strong presences coming towards this place! In your actual state you are no match for any of them! I'll help you in hiding your aura. Now that you are in this weak state, it will be much more easier hiding you from others even if they are stronger than you!] - Flinching at the comment of the dragon, he hid behind his bench in the bush he earlier inspected.

Slowly but surely, he heard voices. It was kind of late, around 8:00pm, so finding someone at this time in the park was rather odd.

Hearing the voices closing in, he recognized them but the topic of their conversation was something that made him vomit blood behind the bush.

* _Blargh!_ *

Thankfully they didn't hear him.

"Hey Asia what do you think of these, quite beautiful right! The boy I like gifted them to me! Beautiful aren't they?" - That voice was of Irina Shidou, the childhood friend of Issei. She was happily jumping around with over 100 roses on her hands, carefully ordered in a couple of bouquets.

Answering instead of Asia, Xenovia talked.

"Huh? Why do you feel so prideful? Isn't that a sin? You'll fall you know, Irina. Besides, he gifted them to you so that you could agree into becoming his girlfriend!" - Xenovia quickly countered Irina.

"True but Ryutaro is so sweet, nice, and gentlemanly. Besides, he always spends time with me, I love him!" - Her voice sounded sweet and dreamy.

A blush was on her cheeks. She was bringing both hands towards her face, trying to cover her blush.

Looking at her, Asia said.

"Irina-san, Xenovia-san. It's true that the gifts were beautiful, but still I do not think you should keep saying it. Both of you have boyfriends and I believe that if Ryutaro-san and Souji-san were to hear you they will start fighting!" - Shyly talking, Asia gave her own advise.

""AH!"" - Both of them screamed at the same time. They realized that her words were true!

Even though they are brothers, they are extremely competitive towards each other! Last time they barely stopped them.

Changing the subject of the talk, Xenovia quickly teased Asia.

"Ohhh! So Asia, what about Ken? You two have been quite lovey-dovey recently. Doesn't he help you with the club work? Also, their is a rumor that says that the two of you were holding hands and even kissing! So is it true?" - Skillfully, Xenovia asked Asia. Getting the constant nods of an excited Irina.

"Ehh, well... just..." - She was made a mess thanks to that comment.

"Yes those rumors are actually true!" - Asia answered with honesty despite her red face. Suddenly the fourth figure accompanying them spoke up

"Asia-senpai... daring." - She was short white-haired girl, she was eating her candy and her voice was almost without a trace of emotion.

In response Asia went even redder, and hid behind Xenovia.

"True Koneko-chan but don't you also have someone? If my memory isn't wrong someone of the same year but from a different class. I believe his name was Hijama!" - Taken by surprise by Xenovia's sudden remark Koneko widened her little eyes.

"H-how do you k-know about t-that?" - Stuttering in her response, Koneko blushed.

"So the rumor was true! You did like the youngest brother of Souji and Ryutaro!" - Irina stated with a face full of surprise.

"So is the other rumor that Ravel is also after him true?" - She asked Koneko again.

One could see how her face changed from the previous blushing, it became emotionless and sharp even her eyes became slightly cold.

"Hmph! That Fried Chicken is unfortunately also after him. But she will never win! After all, I am at an advantage, sooner or later he will confess to me. I have the feeling it would be at the ending of the month." - Koneko replied with a full sentence filled with a lot of words. Something not normal about her, showing proof that she truly liked that Hijama.

While continuing their walk, Irina made a question that made the hidden brown-haired boy react.

"Sooo. What do you like about him Koneko-chan?"

She answered at a speed faster than a Knight's.

"He is no pervert. I hate perverts. Especially perverted-senpai. He's the worst of the worst, real scum."

"Wahh. Quite the rude words towards Ise-kun there. But I have to agree. I hate how he's always thinking about doing something perverted! Gives me the creeps..." - She had a face filled with slight disgust.

"Don't be that cruel towards Ise." - Those words made Issei smile slightly. At least, someone cared about him and didn't spit behind his back! However, that smile turned into a scowl.

"Although he is really perverted and we all hate that about him. He's still kind. So you could say it somehow counters it!" - Xenovia said, but the stares from Irina and Koneko and even the slight glare of Asia made her retract her words.

"OK. Don't look at me with those eyes!" - She raised both arms up.

"I mean sure, he really is dumb and foolish to the extreme, even for me to say. Lets not mention perverted and even lustful. But his kindness was always a good trait! Even though he has much more bad ones, than good ones."

Xenovia said but Koneko replied with a tone filed with sarcasm and scorn

"One good, everything else bad."

That caused Asia and Irina to giggle and Xenovia to say.

"Well that's true."- She said without any remorse in her face.

"Well, now that we have someone that's not bad to us, you could say that all those bad memories will be gone." - The blue-haired said to them. Causing the rest of the girls to nod and loudly say.

"""True, much better than before!"""

That comment, - * _Blargh!_ * - Cause Issei to vomit another mouthful of blood.

They soon walked away from the park, their silhouettes moving away from his location. Issei was still hiding behind the bush.

He couldn't move, even breathing was a hassle. The pain he felt before now came twice—even three times as bad! It caused his body to convulse!

The spots he felt before in his chest were now burning hot. Other places around his body were feeling the exact same.

Blood started to come out his mouth, choking him. He could barely hear the voice of his Partner, his head filled with something else entirely.

(So it was true... Everyone told lies to me...) - His thoughts were reaching a terrible state.

(The way they acted towards me!) - He screamed inside his head, making a purple light to start surrounding his body.

(Those smiles given to me!) - The light increased in density and made his eyes change from yellow to pitch black.

"All that so called _love!? ALL OF IT WAS A_ LIE!" - He screamed with all of his force, making the light cover his body, as if protecting him.

"THEY ALWAYS HATED ME! ALL THOSE MOMENTS WERE NOTHING BUT LIES, LIES, LIES, LIES, LIES, LIESSSSS!" - He screamed expelling the light from his body, covering his surroundings with only purple and black particles.

Afterward, a weird miasma started to come out of his body. It was like a fog that covered the ground, not showing the green grass beneath him. It was black in color with little hints of red, a violet-light was shining at random intervals.

The feelings he now experienced were nothing but sadness, frustration, pain, agony, rage, grief, shame, and so many more.

Repeating his monologue over, and over again, inside his mind.

The scene of Rias and Akeno with that fucker!

The words from Xenovia, Irina, Asia, and Koneko!

The truth about why were they never, not even for a moment with him in the past 2 months... slowly unraveled itself before his eyes...

They were with someone else! Every single one of them!

They lied and used him just during the moments when they would surely die!

JUST WHEN THEY NEEDED SOMETHING!?

JUST WHEN THEY NEEDED A SHIELD!?

JUST FOR THEIR OWN PERSONAL GAIN!?

The miasma surrounding him was taking the form of a second skin, giving him a really frightening look.

A weird mark appeared on the left side of his forehead. And at that moment, he felt his body being filled with power. The pain he felt before was still there, but not as strong as before.

He felt how the entire world started to change. A door opened before him, in the worst moment of his life yet he didn't even know about it!

The horrible emotions he felt started to corrupt his mind.

He suddenly lost control of himself and the miasma that was gathering in the form of a second skin... broke loose.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Kuoh Town—-**

* * *

 **.**

Everyone inside Kuoh Town started to feel odd.

Some started to feel goosebumps all over their skin. Others couldn't breath properly, barely having the strength to hold their own breath. Others started to sweat profusely and felt cold and chills all over their body.

Their survival instincts were telling them to run, the further the better!

However, a huge pressure fell upon everyone, paralyzing them on the spot! Their faces lost all color, and they all could feel as if a disaster was about to happen.

Some of them got lucky and just fainted after some time, but others had to deal with this. However, everyone inside the city whether supernatural or not, started to experience those symptoms.

As if something terrible just happened!

As if the balance and peace of the world was just broken!

As if a chained monster just broke his bindings!

The clear and beautiful night sky turned pitch black, not even the moon could be seen.

Fog started to appear around the city, giving it a spectral look.

Coldness erupted everywhere and a menacing vibe surrounded every living soul! They could feel their hearts being gripped by an invisible hand, ready to crush them with a single movement!

At the same time, the same sensation was experienced by all of the ones inside Kuoh's College Division.

"How could that be possible?! It's halfway through summer, even if its night time this is ridiculous!" - Reiji said, letting out his breath in between his hands. One could still see the frozen breath in the air slowly dissipating.

He knew that this climate change was not normal!

Looking towards Akeno and Rias he saw them surprised and frightened, for whatever reason it may be. However, they didn't move so he became worried.

Walking towards them, he felt how in the place they where standing the atmosphere felt many, many times worse. As if all of this was directed towards them.

Their lips were pale, almost blue. Their faces drained of all color and they were barely hanging onto their consciousness. They were shaking, their teeth also chattered noisely. Sweat started to flow down their foreheads, just like a terrible fever.

They were petrified, not daring to move and inch!

He tried to move closer but when he reached just 10 feet away from them he fell to his knees, trembling all over and, - * _Huff!_ _Huff!_ * - Breathing heavily.

Whatever was the cause of this ridiculous climatic change, it didn't want him to get near them!

In other places around Kuoh the rest of the girls Irina, Asia, Xenovia, Ravel, and Koneko felt the exact same way as Rias and Akeno! Their bodies completely frozen, as if trapped in ice!

But just as the feeling came from nowhere it was also gone... They were freed from that feeling of terror! Like it was a bad joke from the Heavens, as if it didn't even exist! But they knew it was real!

However, no one else felt what they did, the symptoms they felt compared to the rest were vastly different—and in fear of making whatever it was that did this, angry, they did not dare report it to the higher-ups.

The sky cleared up, the moon could be seen amongst the many clouds in the sky, but the mist was still there.

The coldness disappeared and instead, the climate of a normal, chilly summer-night appeared. The sole difference was that it was much darker than before, just like midnight.

They did not know what had happened, it was too mysterious.

Thankfully no one got hurt, they were the worst ones of the bunch, but after a couple of minutes they returned back to normal.

But that sensation, that feeling of impending death... Was something they will never forget...

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Park—-**

* * *

 **.**

Trying not to scream his lungs out, in the middle of the park laid a boy on his knees.

The miasma that he was expulsing caused the air around him to cool and the ground to crack. Faint tremors occurred inside the park but luckily no one was near.

Suddenly, he looked upwards. Seeing nothing but the pitch black sky, eyed devoid of any kind of feeling and light. Letting those bad emotions inside of him take control, he summoned the 'Boosted Gear'.

That surprised and scared Ddraig. He knew what his partner wanted to do! He thought that they had lost it after gaining a new power! But it seemed that it was still there!

The Juggernaut Drive!

With a voice that came from the grave. A voice that seemed to reach the deepest depths of the entirety of Hell. He chanted;

 _I, who am about to awaken_

[Partner! Wait, don't do it! They are not worthy of you sacrificing your life to ensure their destruction! Listen to me! Is this really how you want everything to end!?] - The Dragon hurriedly said to his partner, clearly worried. At the same time he felt anger and disgust towards those women!

Yet the answer of his Partner was only another chant...

 _Am the Heavenly Dragon who has stolen the principles of domination from God._

[Shit! Partner, listen to my voice. Is this what you want?! Killing innocent people that did nothing wrong except being in the wrong place at the wrong time! You are better than this! Show them not by destroying but by your own strengh that you are different from what they say!]

Noticing that the next part of the chant was not coming as quickly as before, he knew his partner was still there! Broken beyond repair, but still there!

There wasn't much time, the next part of the chant was soon heard...

 _I laugh at the "infinite", and I grieve at the "dream"._

This time the chant came more abruptly, as if he didn't want to continue. Ddraig took advantage of it.

[Partner! Issei! Please don't do it! I know you are suffering! I know you want revenge but this is not the way...]

Breaking his speech, the next part of the chant became present.

 _I shall become the Red Dragon of Domination_

[Come on, Issei! Come back to you senses! You're the best possessor of the Boosted Gear in History! The one with the greatest potencial! The one I dare to call a friend!]

[Don't you dare go down that path that leaves nothing but pain and agony!] - He was desperate.

[Don't you dare leave after all we have been through!]

[I know you can overcome this, just like you always have my friend! So show me one more time, how Hyoudou Issei makes the impossible possible!]

As the words of Ddraig finished the chant also stopped, the glowing and trembling of the park was now gone.

The Boosted Gear dissipated, becoming red particles of light.

Issei fell down, barely conscious, he was breathing and sweating heavily.

"So I am your friend Ddraig... Good to know I at least have someone I can trust. Thanks for everything, and sorry about scaring you."

"We can speak about that later, I am going to faint..." - Being his last words of the day he felt asleep. One couldn't blame him, after all, this day was just horrible.

[As always you make me worry, but I could not have asked for a better Partner!] - He sighed in relief.

[Better rest Issei, because that Darkness you showed is something that will make you even stronger! HaHaHaHaHaHa! I can not wait to tell you about it, Young Drake!] - Saying those words with so much pride and arrogance Ddraig decided to rest as well.

[If he is capable of mastering that darkness, then we would have a new Heavenly Dragon running around the world!] - Those were his thoughts.

 **—-2nd Flashback, End—-**

* * *

END.

* * *

.

—

(Edited. Corrected spelling mistakes. Punctuation mistakes, and added some words. It now can be read far better than before!)

(Random day around March)

Thanks to all who read this, it really means a lot to me.

Whatever review you wish to leave is appreciated, after all I want to grow as a writter although it's only as a hobby any help is appreciated.

Also this chapter and the next will be flashbacks of what happened to Issei.

I have some things planned, also I'm not entirely certain to make this story a harem, well it has the potencial to be one, but whether with a single woman or multiple is still something I'm not sure, but well by the third chapter I should already decide, so any idea is welcomed, also the people he will meet will be a combination of my OC's in personality and physical appearance from other animes/LN's/Manga, but they will only be special cases, or when I want to mess around with you guys.

Up until now. Everything is going really well. Many things will start to fall down into place. Just like a puzzle...

.

.

Thanks for reading and...

See you later!


	3. Chapter 2 - The Result Of Everything

Chapter 2

(Thoughts)

' _Important_ _Words_ '

"Dialogue" -

 **Attacks, Boosted Gear**

[Good Old Ddraig]

*Magic circle communication. Among Others*

* * *

 **The Result of Everything.**

* * *

.

Inside the bathtub a young man recalled past memories. Some parts of said memories made him cry, while others made him faintly smile.

(Haaa... quite the memory.) - He thought.

(After that, I woke up in the middle of the park, having slept there for about a day. Luckily for me, my parents went on a cruise trip around America after the Evil Dragon Campaign so I don't know when they will come back. Also those _women_ do not care about me, so questions were not asked!)

Spitting out the last part with a painful look and real actual pain in his chest, he looked at the reverse of his left palm. Something was telling him that his resident was awake.

[Recalling memories Partner?] - The Dragon spoke to him.

(Yeah and not the good ones, I just remembered _that_ day) - He answered back to the Dragon inside of his head.

[Partner, you should leave that behind. Its been far too long and you are still in a horrible state. The Pieces are also acting correspondingly to your state. You do not have much longer left...]

Scoffing at the comment of Ddraig, he mentally answered.

(Hmph! What are you talking about? I feel great! There is no need to worry!) - Issei quickly answered with false security in his voice. - (Also, if what you said is true... then I have not much time left.)

(The Corruption in my body is proof enough. Maybe when I'm gone they will at least feel a tiny bit bad... All of them...) - The tone used in that comment was devoid of any emotion, as if his life or death didn't matter to him in the slightest.

[Partner, please stop trying to destroy yourself! If you do not do something about those Pieces then, the continuous clash between them and your Dragons' Aura will burn you from the inside out!] - Ddraig tried to bring some sense into that thick skull of his.

[The current Beelzebub has not aswered your magic circles, and I'm pretty sure you will need to get rid of them by the end of the week before it's far to late.] - Ddraig told Issei, worry spread all over his voice.

Over the past Month, he has been trying to contact anyone of the upper echelons just to find a solution to his problem. But either the magic circle does not connect, or they just plainly ignore him.

He tried everyone, Grayfia, Sirzechs even Azazel-sensei, but not once has it succeeded.

Ddraig also tried to contact Fafnir, but he was still in deep sleep due to the final battle against Rizevim.

After trying that much, even reaching the extreme of asking Rias to call her brother for him, in which she just answered; ' _There's no need to bother Onii-sama, Ise. So please do no come and ask me again, I am very busy. I'm sure your problem will be solved in time!_ ' He just gave up, and if Ddraig was right, then he had around 3 days left before his... death.

The way she spoke to him as if he was just another pebble on the road made his Corruption increase in size and obviously in pain. She did not even let him talk about his problem and just dismissed him. Even when he told her it was a life and death situation, she didn't bat an eyelid.

Trying to ask Akeno to contact Baraqiel was even worse.

She didn't even take the calls from Issei, whether from the magic circle or from the cellphone. Later on, she completely ignored him! Even when he tried to look for her, she was always gone, nowhere to be seen even inside his house.

Taking his luck with Asia also was horrible.

She only spoke to him about club-related affairs and with everything else she just said; ' _Please leave Ise-san, I have a meeting to attend to with the Student Council.'_ or _'Ise-san, someone is waiting for me so please leave before they come!'_ Of course understanding that the _bastard_ he heard about _that_ night was coming.

He no longer was dumb or foolish. With this kind of experience in life, he did not have the luxury of being like that.

Xenovia and Irina were also the same, but both of them were much more... cold towards him.

Once, when he tried to explain his situation, both of them gave him a look as if he was garbage, even some killing intent was felt during that time. They only said one word to him, ' _LEAVE!'_ They roared towards him, threatening to do something else if he didn't abide by their words.

Ravel was just a lost cause, not a word was spoken, she just always ignored him. She didn't even have the decency to look at him when she saw him.

Koneko, well... let's just say she was really aggressive when spoken to, she only looked at him with anger in her eyes. Not courageous enough to try her patience, he always left.

He tried to contact Sirzechs but every single time he tried it did not connect. Maybe the line was secure and only contact could be established if he made it first? It was different from the others he had called. But well, he was a Faction Leader so something needed to be done in other to protect himself.

To the other Maou, Ajuka Beelzebub, the magic circle was answered by his... secretary? Something like that. But just like a professional the secretary told him that he wasn't available for the moment and always cut the call. That pissed him off, but there was nothing he could do.

So he swallowed whatever pride he had left and managed to leave a message after much effort, stating that the Evil Pieces were malfunctioning and it was urgent to call him back. However, that was a long time ago and the Maou hadn't called him back. He also believed that the Secretary didn't put attention to him, so he was doubtful if he even recorded the message.

He tried to contact Le Fay through their contract but he couldn't sense anything from it, as if it was dead. Something was telling him that she cut their link while maintaining the contract intact, how she did that was beyond him.

Kuroka, after the job offer from Yasaka, which she actually accepted, was also the same. Her magical signature was erased, he wasn't capable of finding it. So even if he wanted to—and he really did, he couldn't contact her.

According to Ddraig, only that could happen if one's magical signature is experiencing a change. Similar to changing cellphone numbers.

Grayfia, like Rossweisse, was also unreachable. It seemed that whatever she was doing she didn't want to be interrupted, so her magic circle was always off, in other words, useless.

Azazel-sensei was the most annoying one. He didn't know how, but he managed to get a voicemail! And an extremely annoying one at it!

He was even shameless enough to say; ' _Please leave a message after the tone!'_ But even with that stupid thing he still called him many times, even left a couple of messages in his ' _voice_ _mail.'_

He tried everything with everyone! Every single path he and Ddraig had thought off, he tried it! Yet every time a window was opened, it just slammed shut right on his face!

All of those things were around less than a Month ago, so he decided to give up. His lack of self-worth and the emotions he felt, turned him into a walking corpse, soon to be one six feet under.

After trying that much no one of them knew about his Corruption and now he did not care.

Kiba was gone because of the contracts he had to do, and when he did saw him he was just too beaten to even stand much less talkback.

Gasper practically left the house and started to live at the hospital. So all of his plans turned out useless, all of them were...

* * *

.

Walking out of the bathtub he went to his changing room, but before he managed to put his clothes on, he looked at a full-body mirror.

What he saw made him cry. He looked far too bad.

His once scrawny body came back, and now it looked even worse! His skin now stuck to his bones and his entire body was pale-white, as if he hadn't gone out in weeks!

The bags under his eyes were terrible, even the look of his eyes held no light as if dead. But the worst were eight jet black, swirling, pulsing _holes_ in his body.

These were his ' _Corruption.'_

Corruption, as he had decided to call it, were the eight evil spots where his Evil Pieces were inside his body. And those eight spots were the origin of the ' _venom_ ' that was slowly killing him.

Each one of them was in a specific part in his body.

One in each arm and leg, for a total of four. The rest were divided into two segments; The first segment was that of a single Piece in each side of his chest and one in the hole where the ribs join, taking the form of an inverse triangle. The second segment was conformed of a single Piece just below his belly button, in his navel.

According to Ddraig; the Pieces by someway or another malfunctioned and were blocked out of the Boosted Gear, not allowing their use at all.

However, that was in the beginning when all of those _women_ no longer had even the decency of talking to him. But after that fateful day, things started to change.

After the awakening of his Aura, things got worse.

Because of the nature of his Aura, which was to protect him. It fought against the nature of the Pieces that where trying to kill him.

Due to the clash of energy inside his body, as well as the almost use of the Juggernaut Drive, the Pieces were further corrupted and became eight malicious spots inside his body which's only goal was to feed off of his Life Force. Leaving him as a mummy in the best case scenario and in the worst, he would turn into dust blown by the wind.

When he heard that explanation from Ddraig he almost pissed his pants but later on he stopped caring, no one would miss him except a few...

But after taking a look back into the mirror, he finally broke.

He could no longer mask his emotions, his pain. He was like Ddraig said; Just too damn broken!

Grabbing the last piece of sanity he had left, he asked in between tears.

"...Ddraig ...What can we do?"

Surprised by the question of the brown-haired boy, but also happy, Ddraig answered.

[There is something we can do. It occurred to me a while ago, but you were in far too bad of a shape to listen to me. Also, if this goes wrong then you will die in a horrible way. Your body will explode and by the force of the clash between auras your soul will dissipate. You will literally become _nothing._ Are you sure?]

Looking at himself in the mirror once again he thought for a moment, but he quickly made his decision. What does he have to lose?

"Tell me Ddraig. What exactly is this crazy idea of yours?" - A savage grin adorning his face, something the Dragon really liked to finally see.

[Fine! Have you ever heard of the theory of opposing forces?]

Interested by the sudden question, Issei answered.

"No. Not in the slightest." - With a goofy grin he proudly stated.

[After this we need to make you more knowledgeable. Even the smallest piece of knowledge could save your life.] - The Dragon said with pity in his voice. His Partner really needed to read more, or at least to travel more. Maybe that way he wouldn't be that ignorant.

[Well, moving on.] - He left those thoughts for another time.

[The theory of opposing forced states; That if two directly opposing forces meet, the one that has the most energy will ' _win.'_ Completely pushing the other force back. That's why the Corruption exists inside your body. Right now the Evil Pieces are winning and destroying your body little by little. We need to make the opposite occur!]

Impressed by the words of the Dragon, Issei swallowed his spit. He knew this was something bad.

"Wait, are you proposing to increase my dragonic powers so that they ' _win'_ against the Evil Pieces?" - Asked Issei.

[Yes. That is correct.] - With seriousness the Dragon answered in a flash.

"You crazy bastard!" - He yelled.

"The Evil Pieces are connected to my body and soul. Since you are part of my soul by failing this ' _Suicide_ _Attempt'_ you will also be gone with me!" - Crazily howled the boy towards the Dragon.

[Yes, that certainly is true.] - He agreed with his words. - [But why would I care? I'm already a soul inside a Sacred Gear. Dying with you, my best friend and host would certainly be better than being stuck here, knowing I could have saved my friend!] - The Dragon said towards Issei.

"...You crazy bastard... " - Issei muttered under his lips, trying to hide his smile. He was happy about having such a friend.

"Never could I've asked for a better Partner! And even better friend! Hesitating would be and insult towards your resolve!" - He said.

"I'm all ears! How can we do that?" - Issei asked Ddraig with tears of hapiness across his face.

[About that. There is a way for us to weaken them, but is really, _really_ crazy. I doubt it will work...] - Not very confident about himself, Ddraig told Issei.

"Okay, tell me about our ' _Suicide_ _Attempt_ '. Whatever it takes we shall do it! After all, neither of us has something to lose."

[HaHaHaHa! Truly my Partner!] - He laughed for the first time in a while.

[Okay, listen up! The Pieces suck the Life Force out of your body and into them. So what would happen if we suddenly cut the supply of all eight of them, and at the same time connect it directly to the nucleus of your Aura? Theoretically, the Pieces will weaken, and your Aura will increase.] - Ddraig told him his theory.

Even in the eyes of him, a crazy boy with nothing to lose, this was suicide! Severing the Life Force supply and then reconnecting it into his nucleus! Just by severing his Life Force, it will instantly kill him!

Even if he survived long enough for the supply to be reconnected. Just how long was that? Seconds, Minutes, Hours?

[Yes. I know what you are thinking, but have you forgotten? One of your Auras' natures are Regeneration and Healing! Maybe, just maybe, that can keep you alive long enough for me to reconnect your Life Force into your nucleus.] - The Dragon told his host with hope in his voice.

"Ddraig... You're telling me to cut the connection between my Life Force and my body. In other words, cut the _connection_ of my soul and my body. Then reattach it, but leaving the Pieces aside only connecting it to my nucleus! Are you trying to be a doctor when you grow up?! This is basically extremely complex surgery, on my SOUL!" - Issei roared at Ddraig, but after breathing for a little while, he calmed down.

"Okay, Okay. Let's say I manage to stay alive with the help of my Aura. What will happen to you? You are part of my soul. The ' _Sacred_ _Gear_ _System_ ' made that obvious."

[Well, theoretically, I will enter deep sleep and the Boosted Gear will reboot itself. Just like if it was searching for a new host. But it will be inside your body, so it will not take much time for me to awaken. However, every progress you have made with the Boosted Gear so far will be gone, I also do not know what kind of side effects will it have to the Sacred Gear System or yourself.]

"Wow... So it would suck either way huh?" - Issei said as he laid his body in the bed.

Although for him it felt like more than a day had passed, little above two hours actually went by since he woke up. Time really is slow.

"Okay, I'll bite. Where can we do this? If anything you said is right then the amount of energy released will alert someone in the town. Using a magic circle might not be the brightest of ideas. After all, my body _is_ a mess." - Accepting the Dragons proposal, the boy asked.

[Well, the energy needed for a transportation circle is really small. Even smaller if you do not specify a location, unless you target somewhere that is not part of the Human World. So you could make one targeting a random part of the Human World and probably not die.] - The Red Dragon answered.

"You are saying theoretically, probably and possibly a lot. Not too convincing." - Issei said, almost resigning himself to fate

"...…" - After some seconds of thinking things through, he gave up.

"Well, let's do it. Better now than never." - Issei jumped off his bed with one hand above his head. Managing to get a drop of sweat in the back of the neck of the Red Dragon Emperor. Truly, his host was something else entirely...

[Well Partner, don't you want to leave a will or something behind? A letter, message, anything?]

"You sound as if I'm going to die during this..." - He annoyingly replied back, the Dragon just kept his silence.

"Haaa...…" - Resigning himself to the Dragons proposal, he said. - "True... maybe I should."

Then, he went to look for something. Searching inside his room, he found what he was looking for.

Inside a drawer at the left side of his bed, a circular machine was present with two buttons onto it; red and black. It was a holographic recorder, something Azazel left the last time he came here, drunk.

When he first saw it he took it since it looked interesting to him, never would have he thought to actually use it, at least not this way.

Pressing the red button he started to record, a light shining towards him as proof of the machine actually working.

A few minutes later he stopped the recording, having said everything needed to be said. Even about his Corruption and their plan named Suicide Attempt.

He sighed and left the recorder at the top of his desk, at the far left of where his bed was.

"Well, Ddraig. Lets do this!" - Issei said with excitement in his voice, trying to mask the absolute dread and fear he felt.

Although he couldn't cheat his partner, the answer he heard from him made him feel a little better.

[Fine! Since you seem so eager to do it, and before the adrenaline boost in both of us is gone, let's do it!] - Ddraig replied.

[Set up the magic circle. After that, search for an isolated location. I'll start to gather the necessary energy for cutting your Life Force off of the Pieces. Once I'm done, I'll tell you! Best of luck Partner, we both will need it...] - Cutting his link with his host, Ddraig got to work.

Not wasting a second, Issei made the magic circle onto the ground of his room and stepped inside it, hoping for the best to happen.

* * *

 **—-Forest / Somewhere in Europe.—-**

* * *

.

Light briefly flashed in the middle of a rather creepy forest. After a couple of seconds the shinning passed and a young man with brown hair was left in its place.

"Well... Quite the random location, I'll give you that. Luckily my Corruption did not act up, so I fell rather good." - Issei said to no one in particular as he started to look around him.

The entirety of his surroundings were colored in either green or brown. Except for the sky that was a rather dark blue with a tinge of orange. Clearly, whatever forest this was, night was approaching, and fast.

Beginning to walk around without a specific direction, he started to look for the location he was thinking of. He moved in between tall trees dozens of feet high, but still not high enough to cover the entirety of the sky.

The ground was soft, it was clearly obvious that rain was abundant in this place. Moss grew here and there, and the wind was cold as well as the climate in general. But snow was nowhere to be seen.

Continuing his walk, in what he thought was an endless forest.

"Damn! This place is huge! I have walked for a while yet not a single decent spot has been found! Is my luck really that bad!?" - Grabbing his head in between his hands, he yelled.

"Please, any place is fine! I just want it to be isolated enough!" - Screaming at the forest. He started to spin around in anxiety.

Feeling dizzy, he fell to the ground. The soft soil, moss and grass fortunately alleviated his fall.

Opening his eyes with some tiredness, he looked upwards. Before him laid one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen, and oddly enough, it filled him with peace, calming his mind.

The view was that of the clear night sky, in a dark imperial blue not black.

Stars filled his vision and wherever he set his eyes on laid a bright star. The full moon hung high and was proudly displaying its arrogance with its light and beauty. A few comets flew by the sky, painting their trail like in a canvas. It was the first time Issei had ever seen the starry sky.

He had no words to say. Not even a thought flew by his head.

He stood up and looked around, quickly finding a big rock to sit on.

Approaching his target, he sat on it and looked upwards.

For the first time in the past couple of horrible Months, he felt happy, he felt peace. And in a brief moment, he felt something change inside of him.

Now he felt he had a goal.

He wanted to see the world!

If only the sight of a random forest in a random part of the world was this breathtaking. Then how about other places famous throughout the world?

What about the Supernatural World? What about Asgard? Grigori? Takamagahara? And so many others! He now knew what he wanted to do.

He wanted to travel! To see with his own eyes how truly beautiful this world, filled with mysteries was!

Standing up from the rock light filled his eyes.

His former dead look was now completely gone, being replaced with a resolute look filled with a certain wisdom in life. Giving him, in his rather deplorable state, a handsome hint.

Continuing his journey, he walked while staring at the sky, the stars being his guide.

A while later, he found what he was looking for.

A mountain now stood in front of him, deeply rooted into the earth. Although it wasn't big, by no means was it small.

Heading towards it, Issei thought. - (Well, it seems that lady luck finally smiled at me.) - With a smile he looked towards what it looked like a cave.

Stepping closer he confirmed his suspicions, it truly was a cave.

"Helloooooo...…"

Screaming at the cave, the echo resounded for a little while, it proved that this cave was deep within the mountain and deep within the earth, similar to a mine. But he knew it wasn't, after all, no sign of human civilization was found when he started his journey into the forest. So one could guess this cave was a natural formed one.

Hiding his excitement he walked inwards.

The scenery slowly changed. The light of the moon no longer was present, but with his nightvision he could perfectly see.

A wet cavern was what he was walking in. Only the echo of the drops of water falling from stalactites to the ground, and a couple of animal sounds could be heard.

His footsteps slowly took over the noise fight inside the cavern as he walked deeper in.

Now he understood why Vali liked to see new places and explore the world! It was exciting! Interesting! But best of all, relaxing. He could lay his worries aside when doing this, not letting a single negative thought get inside his head

(This could be addicting.) - Thought the brown-haired man to himself. But soon after, another voice woke him up from his monologue.

[Partner, I finished. I gathered all the energy I could from the Boosted Gear and once we reach the location we can start! But there is something I need to ask you.] - Said Ddraig with rare seriousness in his voice catching the explorer off guard.

"Sure Partner. What do want to talk about?" - Since they were alone, he had no fear of speaking loudly to his friend.

[(...This will be hard...)] - The Dragon thought to himself.

[Partner, after this, what do you want to do? Will you return to them? Will you give up?... Will you seek revenge?] - Ddraig cautiously asked the last part to his Partner.

Issei froze when he heard that. He stopped his walk and looked at the green glow in his palm, staying completely silent for minutes until he spoke up.

"I do not know." - Issei replied.

He truly didn't know what he wanted to do.

Seeking revenge was pleasurable but rather empty. After that, then what? Being hunted by half of the supernatural world?

(Naaa, it isn't worth it.) - If he really did get revenge then, What was the difference between him and them?

He wanted to prove he was different from anything and from anyone, but that dark path wasn't on his mind.

If he wanted revenge then it will be by his own way, not slaughtering everything in his path like a mindless beast.

He was curious though. Why did they do that? Why did they choose to leave him?

But now, it wasn't in his list of priorities. If he was like before he would have looked for answers even if blood stained his hands, but different questions filled his head.

(What do I want to do?) - That, was his first thought.

(Will I turn back? For what purpose? Being pushed back and scorned for what I once was?) - Issei started to think deeply to himself, something he hadn't done in a long while.

(I must agree, my attitude wasn't the best. But still is not enough to treat me like that!) - His eyes were shinning with anger.

(To speak behind my back like that! To treat me as a disposable shield like that! To insult, and hurt me like that!) - Issei thought while clenching his fists.

Anger filled him but he did not let it control him, not anymore. He wanted to becomed stronger, to become someone feared and respected! So he came up with his decision!

(I will change, and I'll show you all how wrong you were!) - That, was his answer.

(I will no longer be a joke! I will no longer be kicked around and be led by the nose! I will become someone you will not underestimate, and I will show you all the might of a DRAGON! THAT! WILL BE MY REVENGE!)

Seeing his Partner in deep thought, the dragon did not say anything else.

He was worried over the decision his Partner will make. He didn't want his Partner to seek revenge, that never solved anything. Rather it left even more pain to those involved.

Although he couldn't see his Partner's thoughts, he could feel his emotions. Determination, Pride, Decisiveness and for once in a long time... Happiness. He now knew what decision his Partner made, and damn was he proud and happy!

Now was the time to hear the answer from him! But secretly he already knew the answer...

"Ddraig..." - Suspense filled his voice.

That made the Dragon put all of his attention to his words.

"I WANT TO DO WHAT I WANT! LIKE A TRUE DRAGON!" - His words echoed with strength all over the cave!

"I DO NOT WANT TO BE A SLAVE, FOLLOWING A SPOILED LITTLE GIRL THAT THINKS SHE IS THE BEST! I NO LONGER WANT TO BE LED BY THE NOSE BY SOMEONE ELSE! I WANT TO BECOME A TRUE LEADER WITH HIS OWN TEAM! I WANT TO JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD AND SEE HOW BEAUTIFUL IT IS!" - Issei screamed with all the power he had in his body!

"But first and foremost..." - He inhaled deeply.

"I DO NOT WANT TO BE TREATED AS AN IGNORANT, NAIVE, FOOLISH, PERVERTED BOY! I WANT TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT, WITH SERIOUSNESS, AND LIKE HOW I TRULY DESERVE ITTTTT!"

His scream turned into a roar, a true Dragon's roar that echoed within the cave, shaking the entire mountain and the forest. He looked like a beast freed from its bindings!

Ddraig was stupefied, the answer he guessed was completely off the mark! But the answer given to him by his Partner filled him with Eagerness, Pride and many more emotions!

He was happy that his friend and host wanted to do that! Now he was finally maturing and acting like a true Dragon should!

Not saying anything, the Dragon let his friend unburden himself.

After the echo of the roar disappeared, he finally spoke.

[...Partner...] - He couldn't hide the smile in his face.

[I could not agree with you more! Finally you left behind that self destructive attitude you had! Finally are you willing to change for the good! FINALLY YOU ARE ACTING LIKE A FUCKING DRAGON SHOULD!] - Ddraig roared at Issei. But instead of intimidating, it was supportive and filled with eagerness to get already started.

[Move ahead Issei! There are still things we need to do before accomplishing the goals we have imposed on ourselves!] - Regaining his composure Ddraig told Issei. The faster they get these _things_ out of him, the faster they can start on their new goal!

Walking ahead Issei didn't say anything else, words no longer mattered to them.

* * *

.

Finally reaching the end of the cave he found himself looking upwards, seeing a tiny hole in which the moonlight shone upon him, leaving a rather dramatic scene.

Recomposing himself, he asked. - "Well Ddraig we finally reached the end, let's get this started. So what's the plan?"

[Good! Listen, Partner.] - He began explaining.

[First, since you were capable of drawing a teleportation circle I need you to draw something else. Do not worry, the magic used in this type of magic circle is small. The problem is that it will take a while to finish it, maybe a couple of hours.] - Ddraig said to his Partner as he sent the image of the magic circle. He was hoping he will make it in a short while.

Issei started to get to work as soon as he got the image from Ddraig.

The circle was really complex with many intricate, crisscrossing lines with different widths. But each line used a really small amount of energy, finishing it will not consume anything from his reserves. Which, after getting his Aura, became much more than that of the average High-Class Devil.

Maybe if he survived, in the short term, said reserves will go up reaching what an Ultimate-Class Devil should have! Also, the consumption of making this circle seemed to bd really small, so his Corruption wouldn't act up. Well, at least he hoped it wouldn't...

Not allowing any distracting thoughts come into his head, he continued the drawing of the circle. Just as Ddraig said, it did not consume anything, but because of the complexity of it, it took a while for the circle to be ready, maybe three or four hours? He wasn't sure since he was in a cave and perceiving time was rather difficult.

"Well Ddraig, I finally finished it. Now will you explain what it does?" - Issei asked his resident,hoping to figure out what exactly was he drawing for the past couple of hours.

[Sure, Partner. This magic circle was designed by a past possesor. A true genius in the magic field! But he perished too early, succumbing to my power and dying when he used the Juggernaut Drive.] - Ddraig told his host as he recalled memories, and not pleasant ones.

"Wow! So a senpai made this, no wonder it's so complex! But what does it do?"

[I was getting to it.] - He replied with a deadpan tone.

[What it does is simple, it absorbs whatever type of energy the environment has at a rapid pace and then transfers it to a single attack, spell, or anything you want. You could call it a power generator.] - Issei was surprised that something like this actually existed! It sounded like a really powerful spell.

[But it has many flaws.] - The Dragon stopped his thoughts.

[One, it can only be used one time per day. Two, the time needed to actually create it, making it not useful during a fight. And, if you are not able of maintaining control over it, it will dispell during its use and it will consume the try for the day.] - He told him the information.

[So a failed product was born. But since it caught my attention, I memorized it. Never thought it would be useful.] - Ddraig answered in a rather carefree tone of voice.

"So in the end, what will we use it for?" - He asked his Partner again, not understanding why he drew this for the last couple of hours?

[Haaa…...] - Ddraig sighed.

[Not sure how you could be so sharp sometimes, but at others truly dumb.] - Ddraig said to his Partner, not understanding this mystery in the life of his friend.

"Hey! I'm working on it! Once we get out of here, I will spend the rest of my time in the library. I believe there's one in my house?" - Issei retored but not entirely sure about the last part of his sentence. He did believe that in such a huge mansion a library should be present, but he didn't know where.

Ddraig ignored his words and decided to answer his former question.

[After gathering all the energy I could from the Boosted Gear, I believe it will not be enough to completely cut your Life Force from eight Evil Pieces. Instead, I made you prepare this magic circle so that I could gather the necessary energy to completely cut them off for good, since during the procedure I will not be able to accumulate more energy.] - Doctor Ddraig quickly told his Partner. But before Issei could speak, Ddraig interrupted him.

[I also do not know what effects it will bring to your body. In the short and long run.] - Those words made him keep silence.

[So my advice is to always remain conscious during this no matter what. Even if your body is shredded apart.] - Issei swallowed some spit.

[Also, only use your Aura to make your heart beat and heal any damage done to it. Only do that or it will make the Evil Pieces act up and destroy you instantly! I am serious about this.] - Ddraig bombarded Issei with new information that wasn't pleasing to the ear at all.

"So I should always remain conscious, no matter what?"

[No. matter. what. If you lose your consciousness for even a second, then we will both die. Do not worry, I'll be as quick as possible but something as delicated as this will take its time.] - Ddraig said as fast as possible, showing his seriousness.

"How long will it be? Give me an approximate, I need to prepare myself." - Issei asked in a serious tone of voice. He knew this matter was no joking, and even the slightest misstep would end in agony and death for both of them.

The answer he got... wasn't what he expected.

[Two hours minimum. Or fifteen minutes per Piece, give or take a few. That is the approximate time I calculated for this process.]

Feeling as if a truck just hit him, Issei was out of breath.

He did not know how painful it would be, but he knew it will not be pretty. Maybe even worse than the ' _Curse_ _of_ _Samael_ ' he experienced when fighting Shalba. His instinct telling him it will be worse... far much worse.

[So Partner, are you ready for the ' _Suicide_ _Attempt_ ' as you called it? It will not be pretty, but it will save your life... I hope.] - Ddraig said to his friend, but keeping the last part to himself as he didn't want to discourage him.

"...…"

After what he felt like an eternity, Issei gathered his courage and crazily said.

"Bring it on Ddraig! I will survive, so you better make it as well! I do not know what will happen to you after all."

[Worry not Partner, since I am a soul that does not have a body I will feel nothing. But I warn you that you will not see me for a while. After all, this could be interpreted as moving to another host.] - Ddraig said to him.

Issei could feel that the Dragon was anxious as well.

[Oh yeah, during the process, I will not be able to communicate with you. So you will be on your own. Therefore, I will not say goodbye, I will only say, see you soon Partner. Now lets start this!] - Hearing the words of his partner encourged him even more. Even the roar at the end was a nice touch.

"Yeah! Lets do this!"

* * *

 **—Scene Change / Inside the Cave a couple of seconds after—-**

* * *

.

The magic circle was activated at the end of those words. Light filled the cavern and an extremely dense and powerful, red-colored aura surrounded Issei.

Widening his eyes so much they turned bloodshot, Issei swallowed the scream of despair he felt. Definitely much worse than the Curse of Samael by a few times!

His body cramped up and fell to the ground, twitching continuously as if he had spasms.

Now he was completely laying down on the ground wanting to scream, but thanks to the fierce glint in his eyes he swallowed the scream back down.

Seconds after that, his skin started to dry up. His former pale color turned blood red because of the effort of resisting the _torture._

Soon after cracks and cuts started to appear on his skin, as if an extremely sharp knife cut him horizontally and vertically.

Blood flowed and it started to taint the floor of the cave red. As time moved on more cuts appeared on his skin. His Aura started to act automatically trying to heal those wounds, but he stopped it. Controlling it, he focused it on his heart instead.

His right arm started to emit an extreme amount of heat yet no flames were seen.

The area around his right bicep was the one that started to act more violently, but the scene in front of his eyes made his brain short-circuit momentarily.

Little by little at the center of his bicep where his Corruption was, a bright red Pawn Piece with black spots that was releasing a dreadful aura was coming out!

Soon after it flew from his bicep as if shot out from it! He quickly turned his head, following the Pawn Piece, only to see it ' _land_ ' on a wall, a part of it getting stuck.

The scene left him stupefied, but soon after his wounds slowly started to heal. His Aura was not the reason since it was firmly encased in his heart.

An idea came to his head. Maybe Ddraig reconnected the part of his Life Force that belonged to that Pawn Piece back to his nucleus, making it heal his wounds! Well, that was what he came up with since that may be the only reasonable explanation.

Not gaining a single second for a break, the torture continued, yet this time it felt worse. Maybe the rest of the Pieces knew what was happening.

He quickly concentrated his Aura, healing his heart, making it to continuously beat. He needed to concentrate even if it was impossible!

The second time came...

He felt as if his spine was crushed, his tendons torn and his hair ripped from his skull, maybe because it actually happened.

His spine was compressed and then released, violently changing shape in less than a second.

His bones, trying to withstand the ' _procedure_ ' and the clash of power inside his body, broke into multiple pieces, turning into fragments. If he was anything less than a Dragon, that alone was sufficient to kill him!

His tendons were completely snapped as if cut with a sharp knife, making him lose his sense of touch in his arms and legs.

The hair from his skull started to fall in large batches as if someone just ripped it apart!

Soon after, in his left bicep, the same event happened. Quickly another Pawn Piece flew from his body, this time landing on the floor a few meters away.

Only 30 minutes had passed since the beginning of his _torture..._

* * *

 **—-Scene change / More than an hour later—-**

* * *

.

Issei was finally at the end. His _torture_ was finally ending, but the last Piece still needed to be extracted.

His surroundings were filled with nothing but blood, hair, sweat and tears. Proof of the Hell he experienced while still living.

He had to accept it, a few times he almost lost consciousness but his iron like will ' _woke_ ' him up, letting him avoid the worst case scenario.

What was once a cave was nowhere to be seen.

As if a battle happened inside this place, everything was filled with either cracks or holes. Being among them seven obvious craters, in which, at the center, one could see a bright red Pawn Piece with black spots emitting a dreadful aura. The black aura was rising up into the air covering a part of the ceiling just like smoke.

At the center of the cave, laid the figure of a boy with nothing covering neither his torso nor his feet.

The only piece of clothing left was some blood soaked pants that were destroyed, a couple of parts missing on them.

One could see his chest slowly rising and falling, barely breathing.

Yet now, in that terrible state, he looked more alive than before!

Most of his Corruption was now gone, the single last spot of it being the one at his heart! That pitch black, swirling, pulsing spot was the last one, and at the same time the most dangerous one of them.

During the past hour and forty five minutes, he experienced _tortures_ no living being would be able to withstand. It did not matter whether they were humans or devils he guaranteed that no one will be able to survive it.

Yet now even after all of that, he was scared.

Each ' _expulsion_ ' of an Evil Piece got worse than the one before, so he didn't know what exactly was what awaited him.

The last expulsion almost broke him, mentally and physically. It was really close! If it lasted a second more then he would no longer be among the living, and even if he was, he would no longer be sane.

Feeling his wounds heal he looked around, seeing nothing but either cracks, holes or blood. It was so much of it that he didn't believe that it was from him. Maybe his Life Force was also recovering his loss of blood? Who would know?

His hair was much longer, reaching below his shoulders, it was a tone much more darker than before but still brown. Maybe all the energy used in this experiment and the stress he felt left him with the secondary effect of a darker hair? He didn't exactly cared about it.

His hair, even after this, still maintained the same style he had. He really needed to do something about it, he looked awful with those twin tails.

His eyes, because of the constant activity of his Demon Mark were black with a tinge of red looking really intimidating and scary.

But before he could continue appreciating his appearance in a blood pool by his side, the healing was done.

Mentally preparing himself for the worst, he never knew what got him...…

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Unknown—-**

* * *

.

Issei opened his eyes. In front of him was nothing but darkness.

He looked around and saw himself floating on an endless obscurity.

For a moment he thought that he almost had it. He almost succeeded!

He started to cry, tears falling from his face. He felt awful especially towards Ddraig, he had failed him, his best friend and now they were both gone, dead.

(Sorry pal. It seems I wasn't able to do it... Please forgive me, I dragged you down with me...) - Tears of regret and sadness were falling down on both of his cheeks.

Before continuing his monologue he was abruptly interrupted.

* _Flash!*_

Light filled his surroundings, blinding him momentarily. He quickly closed his eyes as a reflex.

When he opened them back up. He was back in Kuoh.

He was in the ORC, talking to Rias and Akeno. He remembered this scene, it was that from _that_ fateful and horrible day.

How many times had he dreamt of this very scene? How many nightmares? How many night terrors? He didn't know.

The scene changed.

He now was standing behind his past self, inside Kuoh College Division.

He was seeing _that_ day from a third person point of view! Just like a spectator!

He was inside the faculty Rias and Akeno studied at. He could see his former self peaking from the tiny gap between the door. He could see how his ' _Issei's'_ face slowly morphed into that of anger, agony, sadness, and despair.

Not being able to continue watching, he quickly turned around.

"FUCK! Why did I had to remember this disgusting scene now that I am dying?! Really shitty luck!"

Disgust followed his words as he turned back around at his former-self.

He could see how his past me had eyes filled with disbelief.

Soon after, ' _Issei_ ' stood up and started to walk towards the stairs, walking past his side not noticing him in the slightest. It seemed that his former self could not see him.

Deciding to follow him, not sure why, Issei walked away and after him.

Soon, he stood at the bottom of the stairs. He could see how his past self fell to the ground and was breathing heavily. The look on his face was really bad, even for him to say.

He did not want to experience this again! It hurt far too much!

"Shit! Get away from here! You should go back home! Listen to Ddraig and get away!" - Issei was screaming at himself. Yet ' _he_ ' couldn't hear him, he was still sitting there.

After a little while, his former self stood up and weakly walked towards the door.

"Shit! Keep moving! We need to get out of here! This disgusting place is making me feel sick." - Issei continued to scream at himself. His words never reached him.

Getting out the door, they crossed the campus and reached the metal gate.

"YES! Finally out of that hellhole!" - Issei was finally relaxing a bit, but before he could say anything else, his face lost color. He could see his former self-running towards the _park._

"NOOOOOO! DON'T GO THEREEE!" - Screaming with everything he got, he tried to stop him.

But seeing that it was useless he started to run in the opposite direction, however, it was futile. His legs moved, yet he didn't actually advance from his position.

He felt how his body was coming closer and closer to his former self, just like in a nightmare.

"NOOOO! PLEASE, DON'T MAKE ME GO BACK THEREEE!" - He screamed as tears and snot were falling down his face, but it was pointless.

Trying to run away he kept failing. Instead he was getting closer and closer to the center of the park, where _he_ once _was_. Stopping his futile attempts at escaping, he looked around, trying to find his former self. That was the only thing he could do _._

He was trembling all over.

Sweat started to accumulate in his forehead and fell down his cheek. Chills continuously circulated around his spine. He could also see how his skin was getting goosebumps and his hair was standing on end. The clattering of his teeth was the only sound coming from him.

He suddenly stopped.

He could see his former self laying down on a bench. Then he quickly hid behind it, inside a bush.

He knew this scene too well. Just how many times had he dreamt about this same scene?

He could feel how the blood in his body was replaced with ice. He, slowly, like a rusty machine, turned around.

 _There_ _they are..._.

"...No... Please... don't let me see this again... I beg you! PLEASE DON'T! I DON'T WANT TO EXPERIENCE THIS AGAIN!"

Begging to whatever deity he thought of he went on his knees, his arms hugging his head as if trying to protect himself from the scene.

But as soon as he turned his head back up, he saw that he was now at the side of his former self.

"PLEASEEEEE! DON'T!" - Screaming at his other self as he saw how he was peaking at _them_ through the bush, he threw himself at the former Issei, but to his surprise he simply went through him.

Now laying flat on the the ground, right behind his former self. He got up and stood in front of his former self, as if trying to block his view.

His past self completely ignored him, as if he was nothing but air.

"YOU DUMB PIECE OF—" - Before continuing his profanities he could see how ' _Issei_ ' coughed out blood. He _knew_ why.

Sometime before he had done it as well.

Turning around he saw the scene that haunted his memories till this day.

The four _women_ were talking among themselves, a normal conversation for anyone. But for him, each word was like a sharp knife digging straight towards his heart. He tried to turn around but he couldn't. Just like when he tried to ran away something compelled him to look.

Tears fell down his face. His breath turned heavy, he could feel how his body was shutting itself down.

He continued to watch, the whole lot of it. But at some point tears stopped forming in his eyes, he no longer cared.

Suddenly, a chill went down his spine.

He turned back and saw his former self being surrounded by a miasma; black with red tints, shining in a violet light at intervals.

But _that_ was not what scared him, rather, what happened afterward...

"Oh No... Please don't tell me, _that_ is going to happen?!"

He could see his former self ' _second_ _skin_ ' break. Releasing a terrible miasma that covered the entirety of the city

"That actually happened!? Ddraig never told me that!"

With a pale face he looked towards his past self. He saw him summon the Boosted Gear and reciting that _chant._

"Wait! Don't activate _that!_ Just how many innocents will be lost if you activate it!?" - Yelling at his past self, he tried to move, but his body did not respond to him.

The shock from experiencing that scene again was still present in his body and because of that, he couldn't move properly.

"Shit! Move body! MOVEEE! I need to stop him before he does something he will regret even after dead!" - He tried to move. However, it was useless, his body did not respond.

"DAMN IT! I SAID, MOVE!"

Breaking free from whatever rooted him in place, he slowly moved towards his past self.

"YES! FINALLY! I won't let something like this happen!" - Yelling in an even louder voice that before, he slowly walked towards his past self who now was on the third part of the chant.

Closing in on him he suddenly couldn't move, darkness filled his vision and he couldn't see anything.

He merely closed his eyes as a reflex.

When he opened them back up he saw _them._ Every single one was right in front of him, stopping him from reaching his past self.

The chant started to slow down. His past self was fighting against it with whatever will he had left!

"Shit! All of _you_ again! Scram out of my way!" - He screamed towards them, but it did not work.

Then, for the first time since coming to this place, he heard a voice. It came from in front of him, more specifically from Rias Gremory. Standing not more than a meter away.

Her entire sclera along with her iris was black, giving her a terrifying look.

"Now, Now, _Issei_. You better get away before you get hurt~ After all, there is nothing a dumb pervert like you can do." - With a calm voice that sounded sweet but extremely cold, ' _Rias_ ' said to Issei.

The words he heard from her felt like a knife in his gut, stopping him in his tracks. Then he heard a flirty and sharp voice...

"Ara ara, Ise- _kun_ ~ You better turn around before we hurt you. After all, you are accustomed to follow orders. Now be a good _dog_ and go back~" - With a sadistic tone ' _Akeno_ ' talked to him, her eyes were the same as 'Rias'.

Those words made Issei feel like throwing up, he felt sick and dizzy.

Yet, another voice was heard.

"PERVERT! You better turn around this instant or I'll break you reeeally bad!" - ' _Xenovia_ ' said to him as she cracked her knuckles.

Issei was now pale, the trembling came back but now it was even worse.

"You heard her _filth_ -senpai. You _disgust_ me." - This time ' _Koneko_ ' spoke up. Issei no longer was able to stand properly, he fell down on his knees gasping for breath.

"Yes, Issei-kun. Hmm? That doesn't sound right." - That voice was filled with venom.

"Oh! How about _Filthy_ -kun. Yes! Suits you much better. Just give up, you're not worth a thing. Aside from the Boosted Gear, you're nothing! Why else do you think we spent all that time with a pervert like you?" - ' _Irina_ ' sharply told Issei the cruel truth.

When she said that, all the memories of him spending time with each girl filled his mind. Tears and snot came from his eyes and nose.

"Ise- _san_ , how pathetic you look, truly pitiful. So pitiful, I want to laugh but nothing comes out." - Those words came form ' _Asia_ '. She was giving him a horrible smile.

"Haaa... Ise- _sama_. You truly are naive, thinking you could do something. There's _nothing_ you can do." - Her voice was cold and sharp.

"Why am I worried? You're are far too Dumb and Stupid to even think of something! HaHaHaHaHaHa!" - ' _Ravel_ ' basically spat at him.

Issei was now on the floor, kneeling with an empty look in his eyes.

He felt like giving up and listening to _their_ words. He wanted to give up. He really wanted everything to end...

His sight started to darken, as if he was going blind.

His body felt weak and void of strength.

He couldn't even look up. His mind was empty and his will to fight, even after all that he went through, was starting to fade. It was slowly leaving his broken body.

The shadows in his surroundings started to hug him, trying to finally claim his life for once and for all.

[You are the best possessor of the Boosted Gear in History! The one with the greatest potencial, and the one I dare to call a friend! Don't you dare leave after all we have been through! I know you can overcome this just how you always have, my friend!] - He remembered the words of a certain Red Dragon.

"When I come back I have something important to tell you Ise-kun, so please wait." - He remembered the last words of a certain white-haired valkyrie before she went back to the North.

"Issei, we are going on a trip. So while I am gone you are the man of the house! Take care of yourself and become even stronger!" - Those were the words of his father, he remembered his face right before he left. He wore a straw-hat dangling from his neck and a goofy grin on his face.

"Ise, my sweet boy. Take care. We will be gone for a while, but it won't be that long. Once we come back, let's spend some time together as a family. We love you." - He remembered the words of his mother right when they were saying goodbye at him. The moment they left Japan on a Cruise Ship.

"Issei-nya~! I'll come back for you! At that time, I'll give you a _surprise_ nya~~" - Words from a black-haired kitty as she hugged him before she went away.

"Ise-sama! I'll do some missions with my brother and Vali-sama before I come back here. Wish me luck!" - Said a certain female magician as he patted her head as a goodbye.

"Ise, I will go back to the Dimensional Gap. There are things I need to think about." - The emotionless voice of Ophis as she disappeared inside a ' _Spatial_ _Crack_ ', going back _Home_.

After he remembered all those voices, light came back to his eyes.

He stood up, bangs covering his eyes.

Surprised by this ' _Rias_ ' talked back.

"Hmm~? Ise, pervert. I said, GIVE UP! Did you not understand?!" - Rias talked in a rather loud voice

"SHUT UP!" - Said Ise with a cold voice that surprised even him.

"~Ara ara~ Someone is trying to be rebellious. How about a little punish-"

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!" - He roared at them.

All of them were taken by surprise. The words spoken by Ise were cold and sharp with an overwhelming feeling of dominance.

"I have taken enough of your bullshit! I am too disgusted to even look at you! So do me a favor and scram from my sight!"

As he said that his eyes turned black with a tinge of red and his Demon Mark appeared on his forehead. His hair becoming slightly darker but still brown, a really dark brown. He was finally coming back to himself!

"Hmph! Someone doesn't know his place! Akeno, Koneko! Teach him who are his superiors!" - Rias ordered her Peerage but as soon as they reached Issei, they were both lifted from the ground by their necks.

"Stop sending them to a suicide mission." - He scolded. - "And you two! Stop thinking you're above me. You're pathetically weak, it's you who should know your place!" - Issei said with his sharp and cold tone of voice. His Darkness covered a part of his fingers in both arms.

"Now, if you excuse me. I have an important event to attend to. So, LEAVE!"

Increasing his Aura, the figures of ' _Rias_ ' and her ' _Peerage_ ' alongside ' _Ravel_ ' turned into a black mist.

"Haaa..…." - Releasing a tired sigh Issei looked in front of him.

The scene was of his past self who was chanting the fourth part of the Juggernaut Drive.

Steadily walking towards him while his 'Darkness' was still active, he stood in front of ' _him_ '. Moving his left arm he placed his hand on his past self shoulder and said.

"Don't let something like this destroy you. Don't let words from useless people that have no value hurt you. And foremost, don't you dare let your emotions control you and make innocents pay for _their_ stupidity! Show them how much you are worth! Show them how wrong they were! Don't let vengeance corrupt you. Because if it does, then what is the difference between you, and them!"

With an extremely calm and warm tone of voice, different from his former one, he told his past self.

It seemed that those words were also for himself, saying that he was different and that they will no longer affect him. Whatever they do, it no longer mattered to him.

Finally feeling like a weight was off his shoulders, he smiled. The weight that was placed on him during that night, was finally gone. He smiled, his first real smile after everything he went through.

His past self vanished like smoke, the scenery of the park started to break apart like a mirror and disappeared.

Everything was gone, only he remained. He felt as if he was standing in the middle of space, nothing could be either felt nor seen, but despite that Issei was feeling calm.

Those words and what he just experienced helped him move on, his first real step in his new path

Now was the time to change. He had goals to achieve, and he won't let something like this stop him!

At this moment Issei finally changed for the better, the first step towards an unknown future!

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Back at the cave.—**

* * *

 **.**

One could see a dark-brown-haired boy laying down on the ground.

A black spot swirling in his heart, but said spot started to disappear and in its place a bright crimson Pawn Piece was sent flying. It made a great arc and landed on the only path in and out of this cave.

However, the boy did not woke up after that. One could see a black mark on his forehead, shinning in a violet light, yet no signs of life came from the boy. He was dead.

Seconds slowly passed but the boy hadn't moved a muscle. No signs of breathing were seen.

More than 10 minutes passed until a bright red aura started to come out from the boy. It was similar to the one that started the entire 'process' but this one was different, this one was more dark, and even some parts were shining with violet light giving it a cold feeling.

After a few moments, the aura disappeared and the boy, opened his eyes.

*Pant! Pant! Pant!* - He started to breath heavily but he was only capable of that, he still couldn't move. His body was numb.

He leaned on his side, coughing continuously and gasping for breath.

"I'm... alive?" - The boy said in between breaths, not believing what happened.

He thought that this was another cruel prank from the world, but the pain he felt and the sensation of his body working properly, proved him otherwise.

"...I'm Alive..." - Repeating again the same words, he slowly recovered his breath.

"I AM ALIVE!" - Howling at the heavens, he screamed with every fiber of his being.

That last Pawn Piece was focused on his mental traumas!

The pain he experienced from the last 'Piece' was focused on his mind. Since normal pain no longer worked on him, the last Evil Piece went towards his greatest weakness in that state! His 'mind'!

Truly worthy of the name Evil Piece! Aiming at the worst possible spot at the best timing possible! That thought sent a chill down his spine.

Even if he couldn't move, he was alive.

(My vision is blurry. My senses are twisted. And my mind, well, just by the fact that I am speaking like this is proof enough that I'm not well.) - The dark-brown-haired boy thought to himself.

"Well, it seems that I need to wait. Since the procedure was done, I can finally use my Aura to fix my body. After that, I need to go back to Kuoh. There are things I need to do." - He said to no one in particular.

"HaHaHaHa! Let's see what awaits us! Now world, I'll show you what I'm made of!" - Issei said as a vicious grin adorned his entire face.

I really do wonder, what exactly will happen from now on...

 **—-1st Flashback End—-**

* * *

End.

* * *

.

(Edited. Added some words. Corrected Grammar and Punctuation mistakes. Joined ideas far better than before. Among other little changes...)

(Random Day Around March)

—-

There! Done! Shit! It took a while, I don't know what to say except, that's long!

However, I think that it was well worth it.

Well life gave Issei a fourth chance maybe? Who knows. If you count the events of canon I believe it'll be either fourth or fifth...

Well next chapter is the one after the prologue. So the adventures of Issei after his 'Revival' many different things will happen, some rather interesting and other more fun, huhuhu I leave it to you, if you wish to guess.

Answers:

tatsuyashiva4: you really made me think about the future, answering to your request ,Yes, I will try to make moments between those two, but that will be in the future, after certain events have happened, I have an idea of how to make interesting their story.

Jacobs29874: Don't worry he will, I'll make sure of it

Issei Hyodou Gremory: I'm getting my ideas organized, but it will certainly be painful, I guarantee it.

Freakofnature65: Thanks for your support it's really appreciated, the story will turn a little bit more fun.

Ashnet: That's the plan, he will be like that towards them, but different towards those close to him.

Czechus: Certainly even I have limits, sorry if what I did to Issei's parents seems boring, but if I experienced what they did I definetly will take a vacation, also for plot convenience I had to do that.

Deboe05: Man you are amazing, thanks for sending me that revised, it was amazing, I mean it, but since I write at a fast pace, I tend to get lost in my thoughts, so I cannot make it aesthetically appeasing, but I'll try my utmost in the next chapter

Gammagyro: Correct, you guessed correctly about Issei's power, and no he won't have those abilities yet, too OP in such a short time doesn't sound good but I'll make it So that he is strong without the Booster Gear. Thanks for your Help by the way, it made think about future prospects, HuHuHu.

Thanks for reading and...

See you later!


	4. Chapter 3 - First Change Power, Courage

Chapter 3

(Thoughts)

' _Important Words_ '

"Dialogue" -

 **Attacks, Boosted Gear**

[Good Old Ddraig]

*Magic Circle Communication. Among Others*

* * *

 **First change, Power.**

* * *

.

Artificial light revealed a rather desertic training field, it was the size of a normal football field, a rather huge space for training.

This place was divided into different areas.

The Technique Area, where one trains in swordmanship, speed and reflexes. That area has a lot of different stages and obstacles for the improvement of coordination with the body as well as one's instincts, even some of the stages were rather dangerous.

The Magic Field Area, filled with targets that moved at different intervals and random directions. Those same targets were also programmed to attack so that one could practice defensive magic. They were pre-programmed into ten different levels, depending on who was using them.

There were also dozens of them, in different sizes, shapes and even different output in their attack power for a more " _real_ " training experience.

And, of course, the most important area; The Power Field.

That location was reinforced with several different magics, from Demonic, Norse, Fairy and even to several Angelic symbols engraved all over the place. All of them cast there to help withstand the most amount of raw power one could generate and not destroy anything... too much.

The field had the apperance of a huge, square platform of silver rock and four astoundingly tall pillars on the edges of it. All of them had the former mentioned simbols engraved all over their surfaces emitting some kind of calming light. But even with all that defenses, one could destroy it if enough effort was put into it.

It could also generate holographic enemies that would only go down if a certain level of energy was used during an attack. That being the main reason why this place was the most often destroyed.

But now this place seemed deserted as if no one has been using it for a long while.

Dust accumulated in the air and because of it, it smelled rather funny. The smell was a combination of dust, sweat, and even a little bit of blood. It appeared that the one who used this field last suffered quite a bit.

This training field was just Training Field #2, it was deep inside the Hyoudou mansion and was the one that Issei used to train in. But now, it was the witness of the return of Issei from the place he was in.

A magic circle made its appearance at the center of the field.

Black with a red tinge on its center, it was formed right at the center of Training Field #2, shining in violet light like the flash of a camera.

After the light dissipated, a young man appeared in what one will call rags.

His upper torso was uncovered, showing a rather pale and thin physique but not as bad as before, it seemed that the _torture_ and healing using his Life Force made him gain some of the lost muscle he once had, something to feel really grateful to whoever helped him, he believed it was Ddraig.

The only thing he wore was a pair of blood-stained pants that were also broken here and there, even his shoes were long gone.

But although he looked like that, his eyes—which now showed maturity as well as experience, were shining brightly. His face was sharper, maybe after all of that he experienced his physical appearance changed a bit. He had a rather roguish look, approaching the bad boy style, especially with those black eyes with a hint of red.

"Wow! I'm back. I never thought I would be back." - Issei said to himself in a sharp and surprised tone of voice, it seems his face and eyes weren't the only things that changed about him.

Looking at his surroundings he was filled with a nostalgic emotion. It seems that although he did not spend much time in the cave, it actually affected him more than he thought.

Walking with no sense of direction he started to move around the training field, making his numb limbs regain their senses and making his bones crack for being too much in the same position.

* _Crack!_ * - Was the sound of his ankles as he started to walk around the field.

"Wahhh! That felt nice. It feels good to actually be free." - Issei said in a loud voice expressing relief and happiness, something that for the past couple of months—was lacking.

"Now. There are some things that I have to do, and since I'm in the training field, why not start with studying my Darkness? The last time I couldn't figure out much of it, and only figured out my healing properties after I tried to used it and the Evil Pieces acted up." - Issei said as he remembered the moment he was forced by Ddraig to practice with his Darkness.

At the remembrance of the memory a smile adorned his face.

* * *

 **—-Mini Flashback—-**

* * *

 **.**

It was the day after, he discovered why they were ignoring him.

He felt destroyed and only when he felt good enough to stand up from the park, did he decide to go back home.

Exiting the park, he was walking on the cold pavement of the street. Sometimes when he saw a car running by he had the urge to jump in front of it, but he restrained himself, doing that will hardly solve anything... Besides, he doubted he would die from being hit by a car. That being his main motive for not jumping in front of it.

He slowly and shamefully walked back home. Looking around the streets that showed Japanese houses and sometimes occidental houses of different sizes and shapes.

He also could see further inside the town, tall buildings that were either offices, malls, or departments in which rich people lived in. Just like the one Azazel-sensei had, except his was much more luxurious by what he could tell when he visited it.

He continued his walk, passing the now-closed Kuoh Academy. Since it was weekend no one, without exception, was allowed inside, for whatever reason it might be.

Stopping himself at the closed gate of the Kuoh Academy, he looked at the tall building that was his school.

He remembered the good times he spent inside the place and also the reason why he decided to enter this school. Now that he thought about it, it was the stupidest idea he ever had, and that decision proved to be true only bringing him pain, from Raynare till this day.

Extending an arm he grasped the iron bar in front of him, he felt anger at all the things that happened.

He put strength into his hand and because of the extremes his strength had reached to, even if his body was like this, the metal bar started to creak. The bar started to deform, but before he finished breaking the metal bar apart, he stopped himself and took his hand back.

He slowly moved away from that place, not before giving a last look at it, especially at the now deformed bar.

He continued his walk, and after 10 minutes he reached his house, well if one could call it like that.

In front of him now stood a huge mansion, six floors up and three floors down covering the entirety of the block. Being painted in a pure white with golden accents on certain parts of it. The roof was inclined but one could see, even from here, a garden on the utmost level of the building.

He passed the metal gate that was left open and step by step he reached the main door. Looking at either side, one could see tall bushes that surpassed his height with flowers of different colours on the surface of them.

"Haaaa..." - While looking around he released a tired sigh filled with hopelessness.

He took the key out of his pocket and inserted it into the keyhole, turning it counterclockwise he opened the rather thick wooden door that was painted in gold.

He walked right in and screamed. - "I'm home!" - Yet nothing answered his call, further worsening his mood.

Closing the door, he decided to use the stairs instead of the elevator to reach his room. He needed a shower and a good rest, but before he could do it a yawn was heard inside his head.

[Yaaawnn...] - It seemed that his resident was finally waking up.

[Partner, good morning.] - Said the Dragon towards his Partner, but before he could answer back, the Dragon's voice was heard again.

[There is actually something I need to tell you. It's connected to the miasma and the darkness that covered your skin the other day, but for that we need privacy. Go to the training field!]

He was surprised by the tone of voice of Ddraig, filled with pride and happiness. He could even swear a grin was right on his face.

"Mmmm? Sure Ddraig. Anyway, I have nothing to do." - Issei said with an emotionless tone of voice.

Returning from the stairs, he now decided to take the elevator. He quickly went inside it as the mechanical door opened up.

Finally inside he pushed the bottom that was marked with a minus 2, clearly showing that it was the second underground floor of the mansion.

After a fast ride on the elevator, the door opened up.

While keeping his head low he walked outwards.

Now, in front of him stood a big training field the size of a stadium. It had artificial lighting that came from the ceiling and looked quite plain overall.

This place was Training Field #2, his personal favorite.

Since Training Field #1 was used for actual spars between 2 or more, it was oriented towards actual fighting. Training Field #2 was more oriented towards training by your own. So because of recent events it slowly became his favorite.

He hasn't stepped inside this place in a while, yet it still remained the same as ever.

[Partner. I need to tell you something.] - Ddraig said in a serious tone, forcing Issei to pay attention.

[First, I need to tell you why us, Dragons, are special.] - This took Issei's interest.

[Dragons are born with really tough bodies that are natural resistant to pretty much everything, their reserves of energy and stamina are huge, even a Low-Class Dragon could probably defeat a High-class Devil if he put the effort. All of this is thanks to our bodies, yet the most important part of a dragon its their ' _Aura_ '.] - Ddraig explained while pride filled his voice.

This surprised Issei, he never heard that Dragons had that. But why was Ddraig telling him that?

[I know what you are thinking. Let me finish my explanation, and I'll tell you why.] - As if he was reading his Partner's mind Ddraig told him, this took Issei by surprise.

[First you need to know that Dragons are born with a ' _nucleus_ '. Think about it as an organ and a generator at the same time. The ' _nucleus_ ' is where the ' _Aura_ ' of a Dragon is located at, and each and every Dragon has one nucleus.]

[But sometimes the nucleus of a Dragon can change and evolve, breaking its limits and granting the Dragon a really powerful ability that either has many traits, or a single one. Once a dragon reaches that point, he/she will evolve and his growth rate will increase at a monstrous pace, even among our kind!] - Ddraig paused before he continued his explanation.

This time Issei willingly paid attention, completely focused on his words.

[For a Dragon's Aura to change, it needs to either experience a dramatic change in his/her psyche, in other words, make the Dragon change from the inside, or an extremely long period of time needs to pass. The first cases are Yu-Long and Tiamat, and the second cases are Me, Albion, Tannin and the rest of the famous Dragons that I know of. Once this change occurs to the Dragon, its strength in _ALL_ aspects will increase, and depending on its ' _trait_ ' his growth speed will be different from others.]

Stupefied by the sudden information Ddraig told him, Issei didn't have any words to say for a long while.

"Wow! So that's why Dragons are that strong? No wonder they were called the strongest species!" - Issei had a little bit of pride filling him, he even made a small smirk on his face.

"But why are you telling me this?" - Issei asked the Red Dragon as he looked at the reverse of his palm shining in a green light. He expected an answer from the Dragon.

[Because, Partner. That evolution occurred to you just a day ago!] - Ddraig answered his question.

Issei could swear he could see a mocking smirk of the Dragon's face, even if he couldn't look directly at him he just felt it. But before he continued his thoughts, he widened his eyes.

He felt petrified, and stuttering he talked back - "W-Wait... a-are.. you s-saying..." - He was interrupted by the laugh of a Dragon.

[HaHaHaHaHaHaHa!] - Ddraig laughed maniacally with all the effort he could muster.

[Correct! Congratulations, Partner! Now you are a true dragon in the whole sense of the word! Now you can actually become the strongest Sekiryuutei in History!] - Ddraig congratulated his Partner because of the new improvement, but more than improvement it was a change and evolution.

[By the strength showed the other day when you released your Aura, I can proudly say to you that it's not inferior to neither Albion's nor my own! HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa!] - Ddraig continued to maniacally laugh.

The words of the Dragon shocked Issei even further.

(Not inferior to his own?! But Ddraig is a Heavenly Dragon! It's he saying that I have the potential to become a Heavenly Dragon because of my own power, without the Boosted Gear?!)

[Once again Partner, that's correct. With the correct training and time, you by your own strength can attain the heights of a Heavenly Dragon! If not more!] - Ddraig answered, magically reading his Partner's mind again. Was he that easy to read?

Issei was dumbfounded. He never thought that he, the weakest Sekiryuutei in History, could reach—by his own strength without any external help, the potential to become a Heavenly Dragon!

(HaHaHaHaHa! Now who's the miracle Vali!) - Laughing and scoffing at his rival inside his head, Issei quickly felt in the best mood since the past couple of Months!

"What can we do Ddraig?" - Issei asked to the experienced Dragon.

[Right now we need to figure out what are the ' _trait_ ' or ' _traits_ ', in your case, can do. So sit down in a meditative pose and focus. Remember exactly what triggered your Aura! Once you activate it, each successive time will be easier.] - Ddraig instructed Issei and did as told.

He soon noticed how his Partner turned pale, sweat was coming from his face and soon after he started to tremble.

By one way or another the miasma that appeared _that_ night, appeared once again. It quickly filled the entire training field.

Soon after, it started to compress itself onto Issei's body, forming another layer of skin. One black in color with a tinge of red, on a few places a violet light was shining at irregular intervals.

This ' _skin_ ' was covering only a small portion of his body, those being his left shoulder and right thigh. It gave the appearance of an ink stain that extended itself onto the body.

The edges of the said ink stain had the shape of the roots of a tree, with different sizes and widths. Some were forming spirals, while others just extended themselves to their utmost length reaching different parts of his body.

Issei was concentrating. But by Ddraig's guesses, whatever activated his Aura was definitely not pretty. His guess was the memories from _that_ night and by the looks of it, he hit the nail right in the head.

Issei was trembling, he felt awful. He subconsciously knew what activated his Aura and it definetly wasn't good.

What activated it was different from Ddraig's guesses, it was bad emotions.

For his Aura to manifest itself, he needed to experiment bad emotions and not letting them take control of himself, because if they did then... he didn't want to think about it.

Seconds painfully went by. Ddraig, scared of interrupting his friend during this process, didn't dare to breath much less speak. Thankfully a few seconds after, a mark appeared on his Partner's face.

The mark started at the left side of his forehead.

It was in the shape of a spiral that circled itself two times ending upwards and towards the left, almost reaching the roots of his hair. On the right side of the spiral, there were three spikes joined one amongst the other by their edges and pointing upwards in a diagonally way. On the bottom part of the spiral, on the same side it ended upwards, a long yet thin spike reached downwards ending right above the eyebrow.

After the ' _mark_ ' fully formed, Issei opened his eyes.

His former honey-coloured eyes that irradiated naivety and foolishness were now gone. Instead, they were replaced by black eyes that had a tinge of red, these eyes irradiated sharpness, confidence and even a little bit of a threatening glare. Extremely weird eyes that could intimidate anyone.

"Well I feel... Different." - The voice of Issei also changed, now becoming more cold and sharp.

He could feel how he could keep his emotions in check, no longer them controlling him. A smile naturally formed on his face as he screamed in a childlike manner.

"This is awesome! I sounded really cool!" - Although his voice still sounded different, now it had a warm feeling. It seems that the Aura couldn't change Issei's personality completely.

That scene made the Red Dragon Emperor gain a drop of sweat in the back end of his neck. However, he was glad that this change hadn't affected his Partner... that much.

Issei started to play around with his Aura, because of its color, and because he wanted to sound cool, he named it Darkness. Simple yet stylish, it completely suited his needs and tastes.

Soon after, he looked at the reflection of his face in a small pool of what he wanted to believe was water. A weird mark was present of his forehead. He intently looked at his reflection, turning his head and looking at the other angles of the said mark.

"Mmmmm..." - He seemed thoughtful.

After seeing it more and more he mentally sighed. The name he came up with was rather fitting but also hurtful, well at least to himself.

"Demon Mark. That will be the name of this, I've decided." - While giving up in his search for a better name, he talked loudly.

Ddraig widened his eyes a bit, surprised by the name his Partner decided.

[Are you sure, Partner?] - The Dragon asked his friend.

"Yeah Ddraig, it's for me to not forget what change was brought to me and made this mark and power appear." - Issei decided as he explained his reasons to his friend, feeling sad even in the state of his mark.

[Then how about the change in personality? What would you name that? I believe it deserves a name, after all, you really seem like a different person.] - Ddraig asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Mmmm..." - Issei thought for a little while, before an idea came to his head.

"Demonic State, how about it? Simple and sticks with the theme." - Issei asked back.

[Good enough, I suppose.] - Ddraig commented.

"Well, time to figure out what exactly my trait or traits are" - Issei said towards himself and the dragon while he started focusing on his Darkness.

When he decided to energize it and experiment with it, a terrible scream came from his throat. - "AAAAAHHH!" - Immediately scaring the Dragon.

A huge clash of aura became present, and Issei was the epicenter.

A vortex appeared right above his head and small violet-coloured lightnings were inside it. Issei fell to his knees and suddenly felt his body heat up. His Demonic State was forcefully removed and a scream of agony, because of the surge of horrible memories and emotions, was heard.

"AAAHHH— gugh!" - Issei quickly bit his tongue making the scream stop, yet the pain was still there.

Eight black spots became visible in his body, they looked like gangrene yet also different. Each one of them was swirling at different speeds and also pulsing at the same time, giving him a repulsing look.

The location of said spots was one in his biceps and thighs, making four of them just half of the total. The rest appeared in his chest, two of them at either side of his chest and one at the union of his ribs, taking the shape of a disfigured, inverse triangle. Because of the difference in size they had the last one appeared right below his belly button and was the smallest of the eight of them, maybe the size of a coin.

Issei, still on his knees, fought the urge to scream. The clash of auras his body was experimenting was tearing him apart!

Wounds became visible on his body cuts, bruises, burns that came from the inside out, a few broken bones and so many others were in his body. If the injuries kept increasing then he would definitely die!

But it seemed Lady luck hadn't left him yet.

His Demon Mark became present, and at the same time the clash of auras started to diminish in violence.

His Darkness covered him little by little like a second skin, giving him a rather intimidating appearance. But being more precise, his Darkness covered his wounds, and at a speed perceivable with the naked eye said wounds started to heal.

Those types of wounds would have definetly send him to a hospital to stay there for at least a couple of days, yet they were healed by his Darkness in less than a few seconds.

The pain from the clash of auras also disappeared surprising him even further. He couldn't understand, what happened?

Worried he asked his only hope, Ddraig. - "Ddraig, what exactly happened?"

[...…] - Said dragon's answer was only silence.

Issei was worried, maybe even Ddraig didn't know what exactly just happened to him?

"Ehh, Partn—"

[I have a theory.] - Quickly being interrupted by Ddraig, Issei was surprised, maybe Ddraig did know what happened to him!

"Well I'm all ears"

[It's the Evil Pieces, after _that_ day they were further corrupted. That violent clash of aura is the proof of it.] - Ddraig immediately proposed his theory to his partner.

"..…." - Now was Issei's turn at being silent.

[I believe that because the sole nature of your Aura which was healing, fought against the nature of the Evil Pieces that became destructive towards you. It's battle forced a clash between your ' _powers_ '. Those weird eight spots in your body are the physical proof of the rejection your body has towards the Pawn Pieces, but because they are fused with you they cannot be purged, because doing so would kill you. So the reaction occurred.]

Ddraig professionally explained, making Issei sigh in defeat. Truly his luck was the worst, gaining a phenomenal power only to be blocked by his Evil Pieces the world truly hates him...

[Partner I recommend you not to use you Aura, if even trying to use your Darkness caused a clash that was that violent, then using it more would make your body literally explode!] - Recommended the dragon to his host.

Truly the world hated them, why was it so cruel?! Stealing the last shred of hope his Partner had... such bullshit.

"..…." - Issei didn't have words to answer.

It seemed life just became far much worse. Just when he saw a door open in front of him it was shut tightly, slapping him right across his face! Just when he gained back a little ember of hope, it was extinguished without mercy by the cruel boot of life.

The emotioless look he had before came back, but this time worse. Issei stood up from his sitting position he put his hands in his pockets, turned around, and left, not saying a single word.

For the rest of the day he just laid on his bed feeling depressed and even crying. But when night came, when he thought he would still be able to get maybe a little bit of rest. His nightmares started, not letting him rest in peace.

As the days went by the nightmares became worse, reaching the realms of night-terrors. When that happened Issei gave up sleeping. He just sat by his bed throughout the entire night until the sun was seen in the horizon, thinking about who knows what.

* * *

 **—-Mini Flashback End—-**

* * *

 **.**

Finishing his memory, Issei reached a specific area of the training field. Oddly enough it was the technique area. He thought that this was the place that would help him the most, not power or magic area, but rather the almost plain looking technique area.

He continued his walk in search of something, and finally, he found it.

A console stood in front of him, it was located right at the beginning of the Technique Area. This console was used to personalize the obstacles one wanted, as well as setting the difficulty.

The console was easy to use, and since he didn't want to personalize anything he just adjusted the level of difficulty.

Turning the knob clockwise he set it to the max if it was any other time he would have never done that. If he was in the mood, around 5 or 6, that was the limit he could reach. But he completely ignored it, today his instinct was telling him to max it out and trying it at that level, so he listened to it.

After the knob was turned, the terrain in front of him changed.

A huge cage various dozens of meter high was formed, it was black in color and the only ornament it had was a single door for entrance and exit.

He walked ahead with his head held high and reached the black, metallic door. Opening the door he went inside, yet at the insides of the cage laid nothing, completely empty, but he didn't let his guard down.

Suddenly his instincts kicked in, screaming at him to move backwards.

Taking heed he quickly backpedalled, just in time for him to see a white blur fly by his former location.

"...Holy Power..." - Issei said, surprised that the training room had a machine that shoot ' _Holy_ _Power_ '!

He stared at his former position only looking at the small but deep crater the attack left.

(Damn! Who was the crazy bastard that installed that in my house!?) - His eyes went wide as he saw the smoking crater in front.

(Shit! That really packs a punch! That's the level of a High-Class Angel perhaps more!) - Issei continued his monologue just in time for another white blur to come directly at his face.

* _Swoosh!_ *

"Shit!" - While throwing himself to the ground, Issei cursed.

"I swear once I find the crazy bastard that did this I'll teach him a lesson!" - Issei kept cursing out loud at the one who made this training field.

Soon after two more shots came towards him, this time in opposite directions. Not knowing what to do he jumped upwards, dodging both of the shots, but before he could celebrate he was greeted with another shower of white blurs that this time, he couldn't dodge.

* _CRASHH!_ *

It was the sound of Issei falling from the sky. It seemed that the ' _Holy_ _Shots_ ' were more powerful than he expected.

Standing up, his body was covered by a few scratches. Blood started to fall from the corner of his mouth.

"Well that was pretty impressive. If I was still a Devil that attack alone would have left big damage even with my armor! Thank the dead God of the Bible that now I'm a full dragon and have resistance to these types of attacks!"

He didn't know what else to say. If his body was the impressive one, or the shots of Holy Power were the impressive ones. But his thoughts were gone as six Holy Shots came at him from different directions, reducing his dodging options drastically.

Without wasting time he activated his Aura.

Turning into his Demonic State his mark was proudly displaying itself on the left side of his forehead. Soon he saw how the shots were slowing down giving him time to calculate the best way to avoid them.

The shots closed in, but like it was a game, he moved at an incredible speed leaving only an afterimage where he once stood. Surprised by the increase in perception and speed, Issei widened his eyes.

"Damn that was cool!" - He screamed with a feral grin on his face.

"Well let's see how much can we do!" - Issei said in a low voice as soon as he saw a couple more Holy Shots coming for his face. He dodged them all again, but because of the increase in number and speed this time it costed him a bit more.

* * *

.

He continued for a around 30 minutes.

Now the Holy Shots came by the dozens and their shape changed to that of a spear for an increase in velocity.

He continued his dodging. No break was ever on sight so his body was tired, extremely tired. Soon he made a misstep due to fatigue and all Holy Shots came for him. No twisting or turning would make dodging possible.

He prepared for impact.

* _BOOOOOOM!_ *

A huge explosion was heard inside training field #2. A huge cloud of dust was formed in the shape of a miniature mushroom.

After the dust settled a figure could be seen inside a crater, both of his arms were crossed in the shape of an 'X', scratches accompanied by blood were seen in both arms and legs. A few 1st degree burns in his arms could be seen through the dust cloud. But for an impact of that magnitude, his body was barely wounded.

"Well... That hurt less than I thought?" - Issei broke his guard and scratched the back of his head.

He thought that an attack of that level would have sent him flying and heavily wounded, at least on his base form. But reality was different, he was still firmly planted on the ground with something he could barely consider injuries on his arms and legs.

"Well... that was anticlimactic." - He said in disappointment.

"Haaaa." - Shrugging his shoulders he released a tired sigh.

After a few moments his Darkness acted up, fixating itself in both arms and legs. Before he even noticed, both of his arms and legs were healed and were good as before, when he first entered the cage. The little pain he felt was gone, but it was replaced with a little bit of fatigue.

"Oh!" - Finally noticing something else about his Aura he screamed.

"It seems that my Darkness can heal pretty much any wound, but fatigue accumulates in it's place. Well, whatever, it's way better than bleeding." - Finishing the monologue the dark-brown-haired boy said.

"Now that's interesting. Let's move on towards another area." - Issei said as he turned around and walked towards the black, metallic door he used when he first came in.

Quickly opening it, he went towards the console and made the entire cage disappear. The last thing he needed was for someone to notice he used the training field at max.

He walked forward, his goal now was the magic field. If his Darkness was capable of augmenting his speed, regeneration, reflexes and flexibility that much. Then what about his magic reserves?

He looked like a child with a new toy, stars could be seen in his eyes. He always wanted to learn magic but because of his pathetic magic reserves he was never capable of learning it.

"Let's see if something changed!" - Excitedly he walked towards the Magic Area, reaching it soon after.

The Magic Area was a huge horizontal court that reached the wall behind it and the sides of the training field. Some parts of it were for ranged practice while others evaluated the level of your magical reserves, others were focused in defensive training, and the last, but certainly not the least, was the Offensive Range. Where one could see how much damage one's attacks actually did against enemies with varied magical resistance and defensive properties.

Like in the Technique Area he searched for the console. He quickly found it and like in the past Area he maxed out the parameters, except the magic reserves. That one worked on a completely different system, well at least that was what Azazel once told him.

Reaching the defensive range he activated it by increasing his aura, all fields occupied the same feature. If one wanted to start a specific range, one needs to be inside a specific location near the console of the said range and release a burst of their aura. The same applied for turning it off, one stood inside the specific location and fired another burst of their aura. Quite handy if you thought about it.

Quickly increasing his Aura he activated the range. Soon the land turned dull grey with weird Norse runes that according to Rossweisse, were resistance runes for the field to withstand its own attacks without destroying itself.

Magic circles soon appeared over Issei's head. There were many of them and they were of different magic styles. He could detect Norse, Demonic and Angelic, the rest because of his ignorance, wasn't able to.

* _BAANGG!_ * - The magic was shot.

Various elements soon blocked his vision, but because he hadn't removed his Demonic State he didn't feel threatened.

Instinctively, he tried to manipulate his Darkness to change shapes into that of a shield or something to cover himself with, but he wasn't able to, it seemed much more difficult than he thought. The only thing he could do was to cover 60% of his body in his Darkness.

* _KAAA-BOOOOOOOOM!_ *

A huge noise was heard, much more powerful than the one in the Technique Area. Even the entire training field quacked from the force of impact!

Another cloud of dust quickly formed, reaching almost the top of the training field! Just by seeing the aftereffects of the explosion one could tell how powerful it actually was.

A figure jumped from the smoke, causing it to disperse. Then, with a loud noise, the figure landed on the ground causing a small crater to appear.

The figure was Issei and was barely injured. The parts of his body covered by his Darkness were perfectly fine, but the parts that weren't were with medium sized wounds. Nothing serious, maybe the wound only reached muscle deep not bone depth. Even the burns he received were only 1st degree.

His wounds soon disappeared as his Darkness went by them, leaving him in his former state, but one could see a small bit of fatigue from the looks of his face.

"I underestimated the training field, again!" - With a sad voice and sunken shoulders he said towards himself. Maybe he was reprimanding himself?

"Just why in the fuck would the max level be that strong!? If I didn't have my Darkness I would be talking with my grandpa right now!" - Issei angrily retorted as he made his Darkness only cover his shoulder and thigh, just like it was in the beginning.

"That attack in the past would have left me, in my armor, gravely wounded! Maybe only with the Welsh Dragonic Rook would I have been able to withstand an attack of that magnitude and not being completely destroyed! That's definitely 'Ultimate-Class' or at least a High-Class that spent around 90% of his/her reserves on an attack!" - Issei analyzed the power of the attack.

He figured something else from his Aura, two things actually.

"Hmm?" - Noticing his change he stopped his thoughts.

"Wait! When have I been this smart?" - Putting his hand on his chin, he walked towards the specific location inside the range to deactivate the Defense Range.

"Could it be..."

While releasing a burst of his aura he turned off the range. Opening his eyes wide he realized something.

"My Darkness is capable of increasing my own inteligence and deductive reasoning! Maybe even my memory!" - He discovered another ' _trait_ ' of his Darkness.

"That's strong. No wonder Ddraig said my own Aura rivaled his!" - He felt enlightened.

"Now, the million dollar question. Is this effect permanent, or will it go once I deactivate my Aura? Well there is only one way to find out." - Deactivating his Aura he went back to his base state.

"Mmmm?" - Issei was thinking

"Well, there is no concrete proof that the effect stayed. But how could I accurately prove that its no longer here?"

Continuing his thoughts, he walked from one side to another.

"The best would be a test. But what kinds of questions will it have? My knowledge is low since I don't know much about the supernatural world, only the basic stuff. Maybe I could grab a former test from my school and repeat it?" - Continuing his mumbling he tried to search for an answer but soon after he realized something.

Stopping his walk, he turned his head. A sour taste in his mouth.

"How would I actually propose so many answers in that short period of time if my intelligence didn't increase?!" - Quickly finding out that he was doing something unnecessary, he face-palmed.

"It seems the effect is permanent even if my Darkness isn't active." - Letting this matter rest, he looked back at the crater that was slowly repairing itself in the magic defense range.

"Another trait of my Darkness seems to be increased defense. My guess is physical and magical. Good! With this as long as I cover myself with my Darkness most damage taken could be reduced!" - Feeling happy about his discovery he almost jumped due to his excitement.

"Now onto my next test... My magical reserves."

Walking over to a separate range inside the Magic Area, Issei swallowed his spit, he was really nervous.

In front of him stood a rather small obelisk, black in color. At the center of it, there was an imprint in the shape of a palm.

The way the machine measured your reserves was simple. One injected his/her magical power and by the series of different calculations, it could estimate how big your reserves were and give a specific result to be compared to. Of course, the obelisk had a limit with its predictions and only by fighting would one accurately assess their reserves, but since he didn't have someone to fight with nor the time to look for one, he took the easy approach.

Issei placed his hand on the print and injected a normal amout of his magic power.

Soon after the obelisk shone in a white light contrasting with its appearance. The results were projected at the top of the obelisk, a hologram in big obvious words said the results. Yet the result wasn't what he expected.

"..…." - Silence was his only answer, he was surprised by the results.

At the top of the obelisk a few words were projected.

Before, his Magic Reserves were among a Low-Tier, Low-Class Devil or around a High-Tier, Low-Class Mage. But now at the top of the obelisk the words were...

*Low-Tier, High-Class Dragon, Low/Mid-Tier, Ultimate-Class Devil/Angel/Fallen Angel, Low-Tier, Master-Class Mage.*

His jaw hit the floor. Never would have he thought his Magical Reserved would reach that level, he was amazed! Although the test was done while he was in his Demonic State it still surprised him. Tears of happiness slowly poured down his eyes. It seemed that his reserves were dangling between Low and Mid-Tier of an Ultimate Class!

(I cannot wait to tell you this Ddraig. Wake up soon buddy, I'll do my best meanwhile.)

While doing the former tests he noticed how he couldn't activate the Boosted Gear. It seems that it will depend on Ddraig's awakening if he wanted to use the Boosted Gear ever again. He wasn't worried, Ddraig said it wouldn't take much time for him to awaken, so he wasn't the least bit worried.

Issei decided to take the test again but this time in his base form. Repeating the process he looked more than surprised at the results.

*High-Tier Low-Class Dragon, Low-Tier High-Class Devil/Angel/Fallen Angel, Mid/High-Tier High-Class Mage.*

"...Un-fucking-believable..." - Swearing in between his teeth, those were the only words he could think of.

"Wow!" - Still not believing what he saw, he decided to move to the next area, the Power Area.

Reaching the big, square platform with the four pillars at its edges, he looked around.

What the Power Area had was simple. It was divided into two ranges.

First, ' _All on out_ '. The range with the best defensive formation, magic, and technology in the whole mansion! One could release their best attacks or practice their most destructive combos here, the place wouldn't even budge.

The second range was ' _Matchmaking_ '. Just like its title, you could fight different opponents inside here, ranging from normal humans to who knows what!

Azazel specifically told him to not use the levels from 8 onwards because he will certainly die as he was now. Also, it was noticed that the damage sustained during ' _Matchmaking'_ was real! Holograms were created, but their physical form and attacks were fueled by magic power making them take actual form.

For that to happen the range counted with several magical generators, the top of the actual generation!

It absorbed the energy of whatever was close by, increased it at an enormous pace and then transferred to the hologram. Similar to his Boosted Gear, but it didn't double it, and it also had an upper limit before the machines explode. Cross that limit and they will go _Boom._

"Well, Matchmaking is a no. The past two were bad enough, and without a good repertoire of attacks it would be suicide even for me." - Issei calmly said as he ignored ' _Matchmaking'._ Then he went towards ' _All on out_ ' activating it like the former two.

He set the barrier to the max since he didn't know how destructive or offense-related his Darkness was.

Seeing the barrier form in the shape of many different crystals conjoined one against the other, he was once again amazed by the supernatural world, it truly was something else.

He patiently waited until the barrier was fully formed. It took a couple of seconds, less than a minute.

"Well, lets experiment a little." - Issei activated his Darkness encasing himself in it, then he did a few punches and kicks but the result wasn't what he expected.

* _BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!_ *

Everytime he sent a punch or a kick which was covered by his Darkness, a Boom occurred. He was reminded of Sairaorg causing ' _Sonic_ _Booms_ ' with his punches and kicks, now he could do the same!

"Wow! My strength increases by a couple of times when any of my limbs are encased with Darkness. Maybe this way I can fight against Sairaorg toe-to-toe without the Boosted Gear. Maybe even defeat him when he uses his Longinus! Well that's a 30/70"

Issei made a conjecture which was close to reality. He was happy, his Aura just became better and better. However, he could only fight like that when his body or limbs were encased by his Darkness. Without it and only with his Demon Mark active, it would be a tough fight between both of them, assuming Sairaorg didn't use his Longinus.

He continued his punching and kicking routine to accustome himself to the increase in strength.

* * *

.

More than an hour passed, and he was finally was able to control more of his strength. He also discovered that by the degree of coverage his Darkness had towards his body, his general offense and defense could increase or decrease.

"Well it's good that my close range abilities increased this much. But what about an enemy that I cannot touch? I need some ranged attacks." - Issei thought as he stopped his ' _training_ '.

Looking intently at his Darkness he decided to manipulate it, to change it into other offensive forms, those that were off of his body.

Focusing, he manipulated his Darkness into the shape he was the closest to, a sphere.

He rapidly concentrated a big amount of his Darkness into a ball maybe the size of a tennis ball.

"Good, we're making progress!"

Issei then extended his palm, shooting his ball towards the barrier.

He never expected that the barrier would pose no defensive ability at all and his ball would just make a hole right through it.

The ball continued its flight across the Power Range. He followed it with his eyes and saw it crash on the earth. Yet no explosion was heard.

He walked out of the barrier and approached the zone of impact.

What he saw was a _perfect_ circular crater 6 meters in diameter. The ground was gone as if it wasn't there in the first place.

"What the fuck?" - Issei eloquently said.

Soon he decided to create another ball of Darkness, this time much smaller, the size of a pebble.

He threw it, and when it touched the ground it expanded into a dome 2 meters in diameter. It made everything inside it be.. burnt?

He couldn't see any flames, but the heat the crater irradiated was really high, that alongside the small columns of smoke here and there.

"It seems that this attack is just really compresed flames that vaporize pretty much anything inside its diameter because of their absurd heat." - Issei said as a theory appeared inside his head.

This thought filled his eyes with surprise and even a little bit of fear.

"It's similar but very different to the ' _Power_ _of_ _Destruction_ '. Since they are flames they are different in essence, and to reach that level of strength they need to be compressed into a sphere..." - He continue to mumble.

"That was normal reinforced floor from the Power Area, so I can say their output of power is pretty good, but I cannot expect them to vaporize everything." - Issei concluded, flames suited a dragon like him.

"Hmmm? Maybe I can change it's shape? Well that would be left for another time. I'm beat, and using my Darkness for healing is quite tiring. What should its name be? I mean they are flames and come from my Darkness..." - Thinking over something meaningless, he took his time until he decided to name his flames.

"How about **'** **Hell Blaze'**. Yes, I like it!" - Issei was satisfied and decided to leave the training floor.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Issei's Room.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Issei opened the door to his bedroom. The ridiculously big room was laid before his eyes just like when he left. Seeing it made him sigh in relief, it seems that no one noticed his absence, that was good for him.

Walking closer to his bed he noticed how he was only wearing a pair of mangled pants. He wanted to take a shower, so he started to take off his pants but he felt something inside his pocket.

Putting his left hand inside, he took out what was in his pocket. Shock filled his face.

"Shit!" - Looking at the object in his hand Issei swear once again.

"How could I have forgotten about this?!"

In his hand now laid a bright-red chess piece with black spots. To be more precise, one of his Pawn Pieces.

"The Evil Pieces! They were inside my pockets!"

As he grabbed the Piece he felt how it started to absorb his energy. Noticing this, he hurriedly ran towards his desk at the far left from where his bed was. He quickly laid the Piece there and as fast as lightning he took the remaining Pieces off of his pockets and lined them up.

In front of him were eight red pieces with black spots. Cracks adorned their surface and a little bit of dry blood could still be seen on them.

"How can I hide them?" - While not taking his eyes off of the Pieces, he asked to himself.

Soon he thought about something, he now had an idea of how to solve the problem.

"If I'm not wrong there should be an empty wooden box inside my dresser. Just the perfect size for these Pieces."

Issei went to his dresser and searched for the box. He had to turn the dresser inside out since the box seemed to be pretty well hidden.

"Aha!" - Finally, the wooden box was on his hands. With the box in hands, he went back towards his desk.

He grabbed the Pieces and put them inside the box.

"Damn! Even inside the box that horrible aura still manifests itself! Maybe if I learn magic I could seal it off?" - Issei figured out.

"But where could I learn magic or other things? There's no one in the mansion and there are no books—" - Finding his answer inside his comment he face-palmed once again

"The goddamned library!" - The boy roared.

He lifted his head upwards and closed his eyes as a sign of realizing how dumb he was.

"Haaaa..." - Sighing in defeat he walked out the door in search of the mysterious library.

"Well, where is the library?" - Realizing he didn't know where it was he walked downwards, reaching the front entrance.

"Well, let's start searching." - Right at the entrance of his house he started his search for the mysterious library.

* * *

 **—-40 Minutes Later—-**

* * *

 **.**

"Who in the world puts a library on the fifth floor of a mansion!?" - Once again insulting the architect of his house out loud, he closed the door behind him.

In front of him there was an extremely big library, several meters in height. One could see a second floor and at the far left, almost at the corner of the weirdly big room, stairs in the shape of a spiral could be seen. They were rather small, only one person at a time could go up or down.

"Wooowww!" - Vocalizing his awe, Ise walked and turned his whole body around.

"Never knew something this awesome was inside my house! How is it even possible for it to be this big?!" - Ise was surprised, he never knew he had a library. He only heard about it from the girls a long time ago.

"Well, time to search for some books. But what kind? What is the most I lack right now?" - While walking around his library he started to think.

"Common knowledge!"

Ise was right, he needed as much common knowledge of the supernatural as he could. Deciding what books to read, he went back to the start, he saw a section of myths back at the beginning.

"Aha!" - While pointing at the section of myths like a detective, he said. - "Found you!" - And walked closer.

He noticed many different Legends from various different mythologies from Sumerians, to Celts, to Japanese, to Norse among others. There was even an especially big part about Christianity. The entire section occupied a whole bunch of bookcases! Just all of this knowledge occupied one of the walls of the Library, and some books were even in the second floor!

"Let's start in a chronological order. I have the entire weekend to learn as much as possible before school!" - Walking right at the beginning he found a sub-section that read, Sumerians.

Picking the first book he read the title. - "Enuma Elish?" - He said as he read the title of the book. He didn't know what this was about, so he started to read.

( _When on high the heaven had not been named, Firm ground below had not been called by name, Naught but primordial Apsu, their begetter, Tiamat, she who bore them all, Their waters commingling as a single body; No reed hut had been matted, no marsh land had appeared, When no gods whatever had been brought into being,_ _Uncalled by name, their destinies undetermined—Then it was that the gods were formed within them._ )

Reading inside his head he noticed this was a poem of the creation of the world and the birth of the gods.

"Tiamat?! Like the Tiamat that hates Ddraig?! Shit! How is she even alive then? Or maybe a fragment of her former self survived and healed her back up? Who knows, maybe another mystery of the world?"

Issei said dismissing the idea of Tiamat. That will only bring a headache.

* * *

 **-—A Couple of Minutes Later.—-**

* * *

 **.**

"So that's how the world was formed and created according to them." - He closed the book and put it back into place.

He looked at the clock firmly hammered against the wall, Around 2 pm. He arrived here late in the morning, after all the tests and reading only a book, not much time had passed.

"It seems that I need to step up my game. I hope that by Friday I reach the Christians. Although reading all of those books in the huge wall is a big challenge, I believe I can more or less do it!" - While believing in himself, Issei picked up another book.

The title read, ' _The Epic of Gilgamesh_ '.

Surprised by the title he quickly sat down at his former place and started to read

( _I WILL proclaim to the world the deeds of Gilgamesh. This was the man to whom all things were known; this was the king who knew the countries of the world. He was wise, he saw mysteries and knew secret things, he brought us a tale of the days before the flood. He went on a long journey, was weary, worn-out with labour, returning he rested, he engraved on a stone the whole story...)_

Issei kept reading the Epic Poem of Gilgamesh, he was amazed by what he read.

 _"_ So he was the first hero? And the prototype for all of them? Like the book says ' _The King of All Heroes_ '? That's super cool! I wonder how strong he actually was?" - Issei seemed surprised by the newly aquired knowledge.

Many hours went by and soon, night arrived.

Issei was still in his spot reading another book. He finally went to another folklore aside from the Sumerians. Reaching the Egyptians and reading many of their myths, teachings, laments, dialogues, prophecies, etc. Some of the books were titled, _'Litany of Ra', 'Amduat', 'The Eloquent Peasant'_ , etc.

"Wait! So Apophis was Egyptian? And not only that but the greatest enemy or Ra?!" - Issei was once again suprised by the new discovery.

"I actually killed a being of Legend rivaling Ra, The Sun God of Egyptian Mythology!?" - Not believing what he read, he read the book once again, but the words were still there.

"I'm awesome!" - It seems his shamelessness grew by quite a bit. Complemeting himself like that, he took a page off of Azazel's book.

"Too bad I can no longer access the Dragon Drive, but I'm sure I have become stronger and in the future I'll be even more!" - Issei was satisfied with his deed and didn't let this ' _setback_ ' affect him. He soon continued his read.

After a while he stopped reading only Myths. Other texts were also read by him, but because of the sole quantity of the texts, he needed to stay awake all night for him to read them all. But since he liked the texts, he was satisfied with staying awake the whole night.

The next day quickly arrived and Issei was still inside the library. Getting up he closed the book he was reading, one of the most famous books in History.

The ' _Odyssey_ ', by Homer.

A fantastical tale about Odisseus and his 10 year journey to reach Ithaca, and after many years and obstacles he managed to get back home. He just finished reading it, feeling a lot more respect to the Greek Culture. He was also very surprised with himself, after all, he had met the three Greatest Gods of the same Pantheon!

"Mmmmm..." - Stretching himself because of the sleepless night he heard all of his spine... - * _Crack!_ *

"Oh! That hit the spot." - Issei said as he cracked his back feeling refreshed.

"Time to eat something. After that I should train more with my Darkness, I still do not know enough about it." - Issei said as he went towards the exit of the Library.

Walking down the stairs he soon reached the first floor. Walking tiredly to the kitchen he saw some people he never expected to see, mentally he said.

(Fucking Shit! Just my luck!)

Sitting on the table there where two women he rather not meet.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Inside the Kitchen of the Hyoudou Mansion.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Rias and Akeno were sitting in the kitchen, eating their breakfast.

Something odd, after all, for the past Month they were always gone, even for breakfast. This intrigued him but soon after he dismissed the thought, its not like they will speak to him now of all times, right? This was merely a coincidence, nothing more, nothing less. Issei convinced himself.

Reaching the refrigerator door. He walked past them, secretly releasing a breath he was holding, it seemed his theory was right.

He grabbed random pieces of fruit and the orange juice box. Since he was training later he wanted a light breakfast to not throw up.

He quickly seated on the same table as the two, who were just talking among themselves. Grabbing a plate he chopped the fruit to a suitable size. He filled a glass with orange juice and just when he was about to eat, his expectations were thrown out the window.

"Oh, Issei! Didn't see you there." - Rias said as he looked at our dark-brown-haired boy.

Quickly noticing the change of his hair she asked. - "What happened to your hair? It's longer and... darker?" - She quickly asked, making Issei flinch.

As fast as he could, he thought of an excuse. - "Oh? Good morning Rias. About that, I let my hair grow a little longer. About the colour, since I since had nothing better to do I dyed it a tone darker." - Issei said with a goofy grin, scratching the back of his head to avoid suspicion.

(Please believe it! Please believe it! Please believe it!) - He chanted inside his head while keeping a calm demeanor.

Rias and Akeno were surprised by the new discovery of the actual Sekiryuutei, but since they didn't detect a lie they let it slide. After all, the Issei they knew wasn't good at lying.

"Ohh~ So that's why. You look good." - Akeno complemented while giving him a smile.

But he was no longer the same, so he just said. "...Thanks..." - With a rather emotionless voice. This shocked her slightly but she let it slide, Issei would never reply like that, right?

"Where have you been Issei? We've been looking for you." - Rias commented with slight worry on her tone. This took Issei off guard.

(Looking for me? Ha!) - He scoffed inside his head. - (You can piss on my back, but don't tell me it's raining. Such an obvious lie, do they think I am that dumb? Although the look in your eyes is a good touch, quite convincing!)

"Mmmm? What do you mean Rias? I have been training and in school. Where else could I've been?" - Surprised by how good he put that one out, Issei said in a slightly joking tone.

"..…." - Both Rias and Akeno were suspicious, but they knew he was right. Where could he go? Maybe they just didn't match at the moments they were looking for him.

"Yes, you're right. Sorry for doubting you." - Rias replied while apologizing. If it was the former Issei he would have bought it, but not any more.

Issei started to eat his breakfast with a rather fast pace, what he wanted was to get the hell out of here!

But once again, Rias spoke, making him curse inside his head. - (Fucking Shit! Can't a man eat in peace! I mean, you won't bother a dog while he is eating. So why are you bothering me?!)

"I want to tell you something, it's about a Rating Game." - This blow almost made Ise choke on his fruit.

"Rating Game? Against who? There's still a while before you enter the world of the Pro's!" - Issei was finding an excuse for himself. The last thing he needed was a fucking game right now!

"Oh, about that. My brother told me that they are proposing a World-Class Rating Game so that anyone across the world can participate on it!" - Rias casually dropped the nuke.

For the first time in a while Issei was surprised. He went wide-eyed, his jaw hitting the floor. This scene made both woman giggle.

(A World Class Rating Game?!) - His mind was spinning.

Quickly many ideas came to his head, but first he needed information. - (Lets take this chance to squeeze her dry of information!) - With a malicious smile Ise thought.

Then he asked - "What do you mean?" - The more open the question the better it was for him.

"Oh Ise..." - Thinking he didn't understand, Rias released a tired sigh.

"It means that anyone can participate. It doesn't matter what they are even Gods are allowed to participate! Of course, being of that level they are limited in numbers. The information my brother gave me isn't much. After all, it is still a project on its early stages, they haven't put it into action yet, so not even a name was proposed." - Rias told all the information Issei needed. Although it was scarce, it was sufficient.

(It seems that I need to advance my plans... Something of this magnitude just popped out of nowhere. HaHaHaHa! The timing is perfect!)

Issei had a plan. Since he was no longer part of her Peerage, he wanted to explore the world and see it with his own eyes! That was the reason for him to train and learn that much.

After he became a full Dragon his desires also grew. His search for adventure was the biggest one, followed by becoming stronger and fighting someone worthy. Now that the idea of such game was proposed, he could accomplish a little dream he had.

Being the leader of a strong team!

However, for that he needed candidates, something he currently lacked... by a lot.

He wanted someone strong, fitting to be by his side. Now that he left that horrible attitude from the past his pride shot up by a huge margin. Therefore, he wanted people he could trust and be strong by themselves.

(Well, I was going to leave sooner or later, better sooner.) - Issei was lost in his thoughts so he couldn't listen to the voice of Rias.

"Issei are you listening to me?!" - She screamed next to his ear. This made Ise wince in pain.

"Sorry, I was surprised by those news." - He quickly apologized, truthfully? Nah.

"Hmph." - Adorably pouting her face she told Ise once again.

"You will be participating as a member of my team. After all, we have fought together since the start. So it's better that way!" - Rias ordered her _Pawn_.

Issei was taken by surprise, so he said something as a reflex. - "But I would like to fight on my own!" - Something he quickly regretted.

The looks on both the women faces was priceless, as if the whole world was flipped upside down. He almost laughed out loud.

"Why would you want that?! Ise we've been through thick and thin, why would you want that? Will you abandon my Peerage and fight against us?!"

(Damn that acting! Not even an Oscar winner would be worthy of carrying her shoes!) - Issei was surprised by the hypocrisy behind those words.

Even Akeno spoke up. - "Yes, Ise-kun. Why would you fight against us? We are family, please don't think like that! We need to fight together!"

(Damn! Another excellent actress. Shit! No wonder they fooled me so perfectly before. It seems way too real! Even now I can't detect any hidden intentions.) - Issei's thoughts were comparing them to famous actors he knew about. Maybe all Devils were good actors?

"Yeah... You're right. I don't know what got into my head... sorry. Of course, I will fight together with you!" - He answered with a 'trust me' look on his face, making both of them smile beautifully.

Trying to change the conversation he spoke mindlessly. - "How has College been?" - He needed to make time, he almost finished his fruit, just a couple more pieces.

The smile in both Akeno and Rias was gone, instead it was replaced by a sour look.

"Well...good enough. Our senpai hasn't been with us recently so we are worried about our duties as the future president and vice-president of the faculty." - Rias said in a low voice surprising Issei a bit.

He, as quickly as he could, finished his food.

Standing up he placed his plates on the sink and washed them extremely fast.

(Hoh! It seems there are problems in paradise!) - Laughing inside his head Issei walked past them but not before telling them. - "Is that so? Don't worry, I believe everything will be fixed soon!" - With a fake smile.

"Now if you excuse me I need to train! If we are going to fight against a _'God-Class'_ then I need to become stronger!" - Issei said to the both of them, not really lying.

"Goodbye." - Issei said his goodbyes. But unknown to them, these would be the last words they will hear from Issei in a long time.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Training Field #2—-**

* * *

 **.**

Issei waited for both of them to leave the house. As soon as they did, he went to the training field. Right now he needed to think about his plan since time was against him.

He didn't know when would the confirmation of the World-Class Rating-Game would be made. But he didn't want to take his chances. Before it started, he needed to absolutely control of his Darkness and figure out more about it.

Now standing in the power field he went again to All on Out. He wanted to try if he could change the form of his **'** **Hell Blaze'** , so he experimented on it for a long while.

He discovered that imagination was really important to change the form of his Darkness, so he tried really hard.

After a while he was capable of creating a **'** **Hell Blaze'** in the actual form of a flame, he was extremely satisfied since was capable of changing the form of his Darkness. After that, he dismissed his flames and went towards the Magic Field.

"Fuck Yeah! I was capable of changing their form. But how much damage can they do? That's the real question!" - Issei had a feral grin on his face.

He went to the console of the offensive range setting it at the maximum. He wanted to see how powerful his **'** **Hell Blaze'** was against ' _real_ ' targets!

Many holograms of different species appeared, many of which were Devils, Angels and Fallen. Others where Yōkai or Norse Warriors. But each and every single one of them were using their own abilities oriented towards defense.

Rotating, Defensive Magic circles with many different weird symbols appeared in front of the races of the Three Biblical Factions.

Smaller, compressed circles with norse runes appeared on the magic warriors of Valhalla, while the close combat warriors of the Norse just prepared their bodies by covering themselves with magically augmented shields or weapons.

Toūki covered the Yōkai while others used ' _Onmyōdō_ ' spells. He could identify those because of the many animes and mangas he had seen and read, so the papers gave their specialty rather easily.

All of the warriors were of at least High-Class in power with a few outstanding ones among them. Some of the warriors were even of Ultimate-Class!

Issei once again was surprised. He really wanted to beat the hell out of the one that made the training field!

(Of course, something as broken as this appears when the parameters are maxed! Why did I expect something else?!) - Issei was tired of all the surprises the training field was giving him.

"Well, lets see how much damage I can do."

Preparing his flames by literally grabbing them, he threw them at a space in front of him. The black and purple flames flew through the skies and soon they reached a couple of Angels and Devils.

He was surprised, the flames completely ignored their magic defense and hit them head on!

"AHHHHHHHH!" - Screams were heard from the holograms.

Everything was extremely realistic, so he could see the damage he just did. Some of the other races at their sides tried to help them extinguish the flames, but it wasn't possible.

".….." - Shocked at the result of his flames, he watched how the flames were not capable of being extinguished.

"Now that's something even I would not want to be hit with." - With a surprised and scared face, Issei quickly said. He then ordered the flames to extinguish themselves, they quickly started to decrease in size and vanished from his sight.

The image in front of him was quite bad.

Angels and Devils were covered in 4th degree burns as they slowly disappeared in particles of white light.

After preparing himself for another Round, he turned his eyes to his next target. He then threw his flames, this time towards a couple of Ultimate-Class.

Their shields resisted, and only a couple of them were actually hurt. Nothing serious, 1st degree maybe 2nd degree burns tops.

"It seems that my flames completely disregard creatures that have less Magic Reserves than I." - Deducing what just happen Ise thought of something.

"Against those that are similar or above in Magic Reserves than me, it would be a battle of attrition between their defense and my flames. I need to create something that completely nullifies their defenses..." - Issei thought of a plan once again.

"That... or increase the fire-power of my attacks!" - He opted for the second one since he lacked offensive power.

With his Darkness' regeneration and healing, as well as his natural resistance, he could withstand many hits.

"I need something that is similar to my sphere of Darkness. Something that literally annihilates and vaporizes at the same time..." - Thinking to himself, Issei spoke with a loud voice.

"What is fast, Aerodynamic, small and can actually fly?" - Issei needed to think about something.

"Sphere? No. Too obvious and not fast enough. Spear? Too much of a cliché. An animal? Yes! A Dragon? No. Too complex, it would take time to make it..." - Continuing with his ideas, he reached the conclusion that; he was not reaching anywhere!

He sat down on the floor and looked at the sky thinking. Hoping anything will come to his head.

"A bird?"

Opening his eyes wide, he stood up - "Of course! A fucking bird!"

Reaching his former position he coated himself in his Darkness.

He decided to make sphere. He made it big, around the size of a basketball. Soon the sphere started to deform, it was changing form, but no bird was seen.

"Fuck! Even a bird it's too complicated!? Come on! I only want it to fly properly and be aerodynamic!" - Issei was trying really hard. Sweat could be seen all over his his body flowing down like a waterfall.

(Maybe if I make it even more simple... I only want wings, a tiny head and a tail, that's it!) - Ise was exhausting himself, but soon enough the ball started to deform and two really simple looking wings sprouted on its sides.

Issei was extremely happy, he gathered his remaining energy to try and finish this off.

Another sphere appeared on top of the ball of Darkness connecting itself to the bigger sphere. After that, a small peak in the shape of a triangle adorned its little head. With the boost of energy he felt through his body because of his success, a tail in the shape of a reverse triangle appeared, he completed the bird!

"Done!" - Issei screamed, surprised by how much effort it took. He fell to his knees and breathed heavily, sweat still pouring down his face.

The bird didn't move, it just floated there minding its own business, one could see an orange/red subtance inside it.

What he did, was to compress his flames to the limit in the shape and size of a soccer ball. Then he coated the ball in his normal Darkness and changed his Darkness to fit the shape of a bird.

He could see the horrible power and heat this ' _bird_ ' released, even if he was two meters away from it.

Standing up, he came closer to the bird. He placed his hand on top of its head and screamed. - **"'Purgatory Flame Bird!'"**

The bird flew extremely fast towards its designated target, that being a small group of Ultimate-Classes.

They were surprised by the ' _bird_ ' flying right at them, soon it reached a speed barely perceivable with their eyes! But by some miracle, since the bird was flying in a straight line, they were able to dodge it.

Issei had a mocking smile on his face.

(Did you really thought I spent the last hour making a bird that only flies in a straight line? Think again!)

The bird moved its tiny head right at them and with extreme flexibility and speed, the bird turned left. It flew even faster than before easily breaking the sound barrier!

Caught off guard, they were hit by the bird...

* _BOOOOOOOOMMMMM!_ *

A small explosion was heard, even though it was small, it was extremely loud!

A sphere with heat that surpassed everything, he that was at a distance ever felt, appeared, and the Ultimate-Class became less than ash.

"...…" - Not having any words, not even profanities to say, Issei just stood there.

His attack eliminated a group of five Ultimate-Classes and pretty decent ones at it! They were above average and by quite a bit.

"Damn, that attack power! Those poor bastards became less than ash! What would have happened if I used the Boosted Gear and ' _Boost'_ the bird?" - Inhaling a breath of cold air to calm himself down, Ise regained his calm.

Thanks to his successful creation, Issei stayed more time there, hoping to improve even more than he already had.

After a couple of Hours, Issei was capable of creating multiple spheres of Darkness the same size as the first one he ever shot. He could even shoot many at the same time and control their trajectory.

He even managed to create a big sphere the size of a human being and control it to change direction, of course, he could only do simple turning, he still couldn't make them twist and move like his hand or foot just like Sirzechs did, but he will reach that level one day.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Library Hyoudou Mansion.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Issei finished his magical training as well as his physical one. He needed to get back into shape and thanks to his Dragon Physique alongside his Aura, it wouldn't be too complicated.

Issei now was reading about the Persians. But he was only interested in their ' _Zoroastrianism_ ' so he only read their principal text, ' _Avesta_ '.

Reading through it he quickly found the name of an Evil Dragon, one that he knew much too well—Azi-Dahaka.

He was described as a monster with three mouths, six eyes, and three heads, cunning, strong and demonic. Rather fitting if you asked him.

It narrated that he was defeated by a guy named ' _Fereydun_ ' and since he couldn't be killed because of all the chaos it would cause, he was chained inside Mt. Damāvand. How Rizevim and the rest found him, was a mystery. According to what he knew, Mt. Damāvand was lost in the river of time since the ' _death_ ' of their religion.

"Just how are these guys capable of finding someone like this?" - Issei didn't know. The only extinct civilization which some remains have been found was of _'The Lost Continent of Mu'_ , and even of them only bits and pieces remained.

"If my memory isn't wrong, didn't Vali mention he looked for them once?"

He really didn't care, so he continued his reading. Since the Zoroastrianism was extinct he only learned a couple of things, not really interested in anything more than the basics.

He passed the Romans since they were the same as the Greeks, at least in Gods but with different names. He only cared about the Roman Civilization but that material was far too big and would delay his plans so he skipped the majority of it. He only read about the first Emperors of Rome and only that was really dense material.

"Celtic Mythology..." - He soon reached a Mythology that interested him.

"Actually not much of them is known since they were rather isolated. After the Three Biblical Factions stole their believers they became isolated from the rest of the world. Well, that's what Azazel said." - He researched more about that culture since Gasper had Balor inside him, so he was rather curious.

According to the books he read, not much was known about the Celts since many of their records were destroyed by the Christians who came to their territories.

Only a few legends were still remembered. Like the ' _Formorians_ ', and the ' _Tuatha Dé Danann_ ' who were described in the book of ' _The Battle of Mag Tuireadh_ '. Those records were saved thanks to the Christians, since they adapted the Legends to fit their beliefs, changing every being into humans whether Kings or Heroes so as to to make the inhabitants of those lands less angry at them.

"So the Fomorians were a race that came from the sea and represent evil in general. While the Tuatha Dé Danann were the deities that fought against them." - Issei summarized a lot of 'Celtic' culture in that sentence.

"Their leader is ' _Dagda_ ', their chief and The God of Life." - Ise explained to himself so that he could retain the information better.

" _'The Morrigan'_ was a triparite of goddesses that was divided into three different goddesses that governed different things. But they are still considered a single existence." - Issei continued his summary

"Lugh, God of Light is the strongest with his magic spear. He was the one who slew Balor, King of the Fomorians. He had a son titled ' _Cu Chulainn_ '. Known as the most famous and most unlucky hero in Celtic History, his true name was Sètanta and was called ' _The Shield of Ulster'_ and _'The Child of Light'_ " - He took all of this information to memory.

"Why did nobody ever told me this, or at least told me to investigate about it!?" - Issei was angry, so much information that could have helped him!

"Haaa..." - He sighed in defeat once again, he didn't know why he never tried to learn something like this.

Turning around he looked at the wall. - "Damn! Already that late?" - Issei looked at the clock on the wall, 11 pm, rather late. Since tomorrow he had school he couldn't pull an all-nighter, too much of a pity.

He stood up from his chair, closed the book, put it back into place and left.

He went down the stairs, reaching the floor his room was on, and opened the door to his own room. Like always nothing was there.

He looked around until his eyes stopped at a wodden box on his desk. - "Maybe I should put it in another place..." - He had no idea.

"Nah. Over there doesn't bother anyone." - He quickly gave up the idea and went towards his bed.

Putting his sleepwear he laid down on his bed.

Looking at the ceiling. He was thinking about many things. His plans, the World-Class Rating-Game, Ddraig...

"Haaaa..." - Releasing a tired sigh, he turned around and tried to go to sleep. Worrying will not solve anything, and Ddraig will come back. He was sure, he just needed time.

"HaHaHaHaHaHa!" - A maniacally laugh came from his mouth, but he hurriedly cover his mouth. He wouldn't want someone to wake up now, would he?

"Well, let's see what tomorrow will have for me." - Issei said as he went to sleep.

* * *

 **END.**

* * *

 **.**

—-

(Edited. Corrected Grammar and Punctuation mistakes. Changed some words—added or removed. Hope you enjoy it!)

(A random day around March)

—-

Once Again I don't know how I did it. I'm sorry for so much explanation about Mythology but it's necessary believe me. Consider it as a crash course. Although Japanese, Norse and Hindu Mythology are missing that will be on next chapter, why? because it's necessary, trust me it will.

Well what you thought about the chapter? Long the longest I've ever made but to me quite relaxing in the sense that every piece is slowly falling in.

Soon there would be Issei's full plan I gave hints about it so you can figure it out yourself. I won't give any more info so don't ask I hate spoilers either hearing them or giving them.

I thank once again everyone that reads the story, special thanks to those that have read it since the beginning and are accompanying me on this journey.

—-

Answers:

Gammagyro: About the the flames the plan is exactly that, flames that cannot be extiguished and hurt pretty bad. But according to research I did avoiding them could be easy just like in Naruto by their clothing or coating themselves in aura. But the plan is like that. The color, I wish to stick with the theme because it will cause a bigger impact (I believe).

And about other factions I am still getting ideas, quite tough to find one after all I already promised something to someone else. But I'll do my best. A theme song not really I believe I won't have it. I want the story to be serious and I believe a theme song will take part of from it, but maybe who knows. Thanks for the Review Good ideas.

Von ghoul: they didn't ignored him but rather they had other stuff to do. Later on you will understand, for now it will be a mystery~.

Jacobs29874: those two will still be allies. No she did not. She had things to do, after all the battle affected everything. The Gap was no difference. What happened to Roseweise will later on be explained. About a Faction I do not want anyone, but I will have them cross paths a lot. You could say Issei is a free Dragon just like the majority of the species which isn't sided with Tannin.

JohnnyBoii: Thanks for the words of support it means a lot to me. Next few chapters things are going to escalate.

Thanks for reading and...

See you Later!


	5. Chapter 4 - Second Change Wisdom

Chapter 4

(Thoughts)

' _Important_ _Words_ '

"Dialogue" -

 **Attacks, Boosted Gear**

[Good Old Ddraig]

*Magic Circle Communication. Among Others*

* * *

 **Second Change, Aesthetics and Courage.**

* * *

 **.**

The sun rose up from the East and by the art of magic it hit the spot in between the curtains that wasn't covered by them.

The light hit the face of Issei, and he wrinkled his nose as a response. He turned his whole body around hoping for a bit more of sleep, but he soon realized that he had school to attend to.

Forcing his heavy eyelids, he opened his eyes, slowly getting used to the light that illuminated the room.

He got up and sat at his bedside, slowly stretching himself hearing his stiff joints pop. - * _Pop! Pop!_ *

He then yawned and stood up to open the curtains so that more light could enter into his room.

Satisfied with his deed, he looked outside the window. A beautiful scenery once again appeared, but this time less remarkable than the ones before.

A clear blue sky without the trace of a cloud was seen. The light of the sun shown onto everyone, like a blessing to all mankind.

"Ha! A town! I believe it no longer has the right to call itself like that." - He mocked the ' _Town_ ' as he saw the small city through his window.

He didn't know why, but after the battle against the Trihexa a lot of people came into town. They invested as much as they could and created many tall buildings, malls, departments, hotels, among others.

Later on, the Town became a City and many new things were built inside it. The amount of projects Kuoh now had was no joke.

And due to this ' _Boom_ ', Kuoh Academy soon became the number one educational institution in the whole City. Issei believed that by next year they will need to increase the size of their facilities. By his guesses, many will try to apply for it.

"Well, that's not my problem."

Since soon enough he would leave, he didn't need to worry over it. Once some time passed he would come back, after all, even with all he experienced here, this Town was still his home.

He turned around and walked to the other side of his bed, watching the big electronic clock at his bedside.

"A quarter to six, huh? Pretty early, school starts at 8 am so I have a lot of time."

Issei once again turned around and walked to the door that had his bathroom on the other side.

Coming back from his shower, Issei went to his dresser inside his main room. Casual pants and normal looking t-shirts were neatly folded inside his large drawer.

"Hmm?" - He quickly noticed that aside from a few different colored shirts and jeans, he had nothing.

"Damn! I only have these?! It's not like I'm ungrateful, but still, this is bad." - As he emptied his drawer, he was astounded by the amount of clothing inside of it.

"Three different-colored t-shirts. A black and white dress-shirt and two pairs of jeans alongside black and white sneakers..." - Issei counted his wardrobe, he didn't have much to wear.

"Really?! Is that all?! At least a jacket, please!" - He opened the rest of his drawers, but aside from underwear and socks, nothing else was found. This was the sole place where he stashed his clothing, so everything he ever wore was here.

"Haaaa..." - He was already sighing this early in the morning.

(After school I need to go to the mall.) - Issei was angry at his former self. How could he be so disinterested towards his own looks?!

After his predicament, Ise went back to the bathroom and began looking for a mirror, he needed to comb his hair. Finding it, he looked at himself but was shocked by his looks. What he saw was terribly long and messy hair that reached his upper back. His twin tails were still at the back of his neck, not sure why.

(Okay, note to self. Get a haircut, a pretty good one at it.) - Issei was once again surprised at his looks. He looked pretty bad and since he trained almost every moment since he came back, he didn't have the time to take a look at his appearance.

"Okay, it seems that there are a lot of things I need to do in the afternoon... Training for today needs to be postponed." - As he said out loud, he noticed the many things he needed to do.

Walking out of the bathroom, he quickly dressed himself in the school uniform that he didn't like. He then looked back at the clock beside his bed... seven twenty-five.

(Good! Perfect timing. School is twenty minutes walking so I still have some time to spare.) - He walked out of his room and went to the stairs, but he quickly looked upwards, thinking about something.

(What if I bring a book with me? That way I can kill two birds with one stone!)

Issei climbed up the stairs and soon reached the fifth floor of the mansion. He grabbed the doorknob of the Library and quickly turned it.

Walking in, he started to think. - "What should I read this time?" - He muttered while looking at the covers of the books.

"Mmmm..." - Running his finger through the back-cover of all the books, he soon found one interesting enough.

"So Japanese Mythology then." - He noticed it as soon as he read the title of the book.

( _The_ _Three Most Evil Yōkai of Japan._ ) - This caught Issei's interest. As a Japanese he heard of them, but didn't exactly know about them. He just knew they were extremely powerful Yōkai, nothing more, nothing less.

Continuing reading the title his interest peaked, he opened the book.

 _(These are the three monsters who, according to legend, posed the greatest threats to Japan's existence. Shuten Dōji the most powerful Oni, trasformed into one because of his wickedness and mischief. Emperor Sutoku, disgraced by the ones he was close with, he killed himself and cursed Japan and its Emperor becoming a Vengeful Tengu. Tamamo-No-Mae the Emperor's most beloved concubine but killed by her, a Nine-Tailed-Fox also known as Kyuubi—_ )

"Wait!? A Kyuubi!?" - Issei was shocked, he knew about the Kyuubis! After all, Yasaka-san was one of them!

He quickly went to the Japanese sub-section in the bookcase and grabbed a book that spoke more in detail about the Yōkai.

Flipping throw the pages he soon reached the part about the ' _Fox_ _Yōkai_ '

( _There are many species of fox spirits, better known as Kitsunes. They were depicted as intelligent beings that could shapeshift, and charm anyone, as well as being cunning and strong. Some of them were idolised because of being the attendants of the God Inari, others were despised because of Tamamo-No-Mae. Yet today, the ruler of the Yōkai is a Kitsune, one that was blessed by the '_ _Sun-Goddess'_ _Amaterasu. Because of that, the species of those Kitsunes changed and they became 'Kyuubi-No-Kami'; Divine Kyuubi. While the others where referred to as normal Kitsune._ )

Issei was taken aback, he never thought that the Yōkai held that many mysteries! But before he could close the book, something caught his eye, so he read another part of the book.

( _However, there is an exception to this rule! That being, Tamamo-No-Mae. Being an evil spirit to the extreme her race also changed, turning into a 'Kyuubi-No-Yōko' also known as Demon Fox. She was characterized because of her scarlet fur, the same color as blood. Because of this, all decendants of Tamamo-No-Mae have bloody-red fur and are easily distinguishable from normal Kitsunes. Today there is no information about her descendants, supposedly hunted by the Yōkai many years ago until not one survived._ )

Issei closed the book and put it back into its place. He was surprised and also a bit angry because of how they treated the Kyuubi-No-Yōko, he believed she didn't deserve to be treated like that, not that horribly at least.

(Well, just because they are descendants of her doesn't mean they are like her. The children do not carry the sin of their parents, they are innocent. Why would they do something like that? Are they that blind due to their hatred? To the point that they wouldn't spare even innocent children that had nothing to do with those problems?)

He turned around, while thinking to himself, and grabbed another book. Today he wanted to read about Japanese Mythology, better known as ' _Shintoism_ '.

After taking his book he looked at the clock on the left wall, his eyes widening during the entire process. And like a soul that ran out of hell, Ise ran out the door and down through all the stairs.

After reaching the main door, he grabbed his bag, placed his book inside of it and ran away.

The hour when he was at the library was ten to eight o'clock, he didn't have much time left.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Near Kuoh Academy.—-**

* * *

 **.**

A boy screamed with all the air he had in his lungs. - "NOOOOO! PLEASEEE!"

That boy was Issei who failed at arriving at school on time.

The gate was mercilessly shot by a random sensei that didn't bat an eyelid at Issei. Seeing this Issei cursed 18 generations of his ancestors with all the _expletives_ he could think of. Probably making his own ancestors feel uncomfortable and blush in shame.

"Shit! Why is my luck so bad today?!" - Issei felt depressed. Grabbing the iron bars of the gate, he fell down on his knees.

"Now what?" - Issei said in a loud voice. He knew that once the gates were closed no power, human or divine, would help him enter school.

After some minutes passed, he stood up in defeat and started to walk back home.

"Really?! World, I know you hate me, but give me a break!" - He roared at the Heavens, asking the Dead God of the Bible what he did.

"Well since there is no one home and I have nothing better to do why not—" - He interrupted himself mid-speech, a little lightbulb appeared above his head.

"But of course! I could go to the mall and finish everything I had planned for the afternoon! The problem is, are they open now?" - Issei soon found a good thing in this crazy day.

"Well, let's make time by going back home and changing myself. I don't want them to notice I'm a student, it would prove troublesome." - Deciding to go back home, he peacefully walked all the way back. Since he had nothing better to do he took out his book titled ' _Kamitsumaki_ ' or _'Volume of the Age of Gods'_ and started his reading.

( _Thus, the light was at the top of the Universe, and below it, the particles formed first the clouds and then Heaven, which was to be called 'Takamagahara'. The rest of the particles that had not risen formed a huge mass, dense and dark, to be called Earth..._ ) - While walking Issei continued his book.

Lost in thought he soon approached the entrance of his home, as big and bulky as before. He grabbed his key and opened the door.

 _*Creeaaakk!*_

Putting his bag where he took it from, he went upstairs.

Walking up the stairs in a calm fashion, for the second time today he opened the door to his room. He walked inside, took his uniform off, and grabbed a short-sleeved, red t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. He took off his shoes, that were badly damaged white sneakers, and grabbed his other pair of shoes. These ones being black in color, also sneakers.

"Haaaa..." - Exhaling a big sigh, he stretched himself.

He then walked to the door and prepared to leave.

"Oh! My wallet, I almost forgot about it." - Before even grabbing the knub he turned around and looked for his wallet.

He took it out from the front pocket of his former pants and put it into the back pocket of his black jeans.

"I almost screwed up once again. How am I supposed to pay without my wallet?" - He tapped his back pocket as he spoke in a low voice.

(I also need to make a new account that isn't linked to me at all. After all, during my journey, I need money to eat and sleep at least in a decent place. Let's do that today as well.) - He thought as he grabbed the doorknob of his room, turning it.

Looking outside of his room, he saw nothing all. The residents of the house where either at College, Kuoh Academy, or on a long trip on a cruise ship to America. He put his hands inside both of his pockets and walked down the stairs.

Reaching the main door, he grabbed the keys he left on a big bowl near the entrance and opened the door.

Closing it, he locked it back with his keys and checked that it was actually closed, then he left.

More than an hour passed since he left Kuoh Academy, now he was sure that the Mall was open.

"First things first, I need a haircut. My hair right now looks _bad_." - He said that as he grabbed his long brown hair with his left hand.

(Let's go to the new mall that opened up a few weeks ago. I believe there is a hairdresser at the place.) - Issei thought as he turned around the corner and looked at a rather round structure that proudly outclassed anything near. That was his objective.

' _Ravensburger Mall_ ', built by a German company that decided to make their new mall complex here in Kuoh. Why they did that? He had his suspicions, they rimed with Sirzechs and Serafall.

Closing in on the mall, he now stood in front of a big dancing fountain that spewed water at different speeds, lights accompanied every movement the water did.

He stood there for some time, watching over the spectacle of water and light.

Soon he left and went into the mall. Not many customers were inside the mall, maybe because it was too early in the morning, barely ten o'clock.

He looked around and he endured the looks other people gave him. He couldn't exactly blame them.

Even though he went back into training his body. He still looked sickly, and his long messy hair didn't give him a good image.

However, unknown to him, the true reason they looked at him was because of his eyes.

They were incredibly sharp and even cold, transmitting certain wisdom in life that normal people couldn't even begin to fathom. So the look in his eyes either surprised them, or straight up scared them.

(Wow! Please stop with the looks, it makes me uncomfortable!) - He screamed inside his head but externally he still looked the same, uncaring about the World.

After walking around he finally reached his goal, a huge hairdressing salon occupying the entire wall of the Mall.

A white rotating door was its sole entrance and exit. Window panes adorning both sides of it, making it look high class and even refined. The classic red and white colors where there but, why on a hairdressing salon instead of a barber shop? He had no idea.

He closed in and before reaching the rotating door, he thought.

(Damn does this place makes me feel slightly weird! But its the the closest hairdresser near my house. The one I used to go, that barbershop, is all the way on the other side of the city, I don't have the time!) - Screaming in defeat inside his head, he walked inside.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Inside 'Black Forest' Hairdressing Salon.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Three women were by themselves inside the salon.

The three of them were the owners of it. Since they left Tokyo in search of a better and peaceful place to stay in, they coincidentally heard about Kuoh, a peaceful Town that was going through its economic Boom.

The place sounded good, so the three of them left Tokyo and came to Kuoh. However, they felt that this Town was more than what the eye could see.

Right now the three women were quietly reading magazines. Extending from the normal Fashion magazine to the Military and even a Cars magazine! Rare choices but good taste.

"NeNe, Yuuka-chi. What do you think of the Town?~ We've been here for some time, more than a month, but I believe there's something hidden about it!~~" - A short woman with Checkered hat and sunglasses. Wearing jeans and a stylish jacket asked the blonde in front of her.

"Haaa... Tamayo, please stop calling me like that. We're no longer kids." - Sighing, the woman named Yuuka answered.

She's a beauty who's long hair is tied up. She looks in the second half of her thirties, and she's wearing a low-cut burgundy dress that accentuated her slim legs.

"But yes... I feel that this Town is really weird. Call it instinct." - The blonde said as she narrowed her eyes.

"True, I also agree. Some of the customers that have come to this place also seem really weird, as if they are special in one way or another." - The third woman spoke up, leaving her cars magazine at a side. A beauty around her thirties, she wore pure white pants and a dress shirt that didn't have a single blemish with black high heels as shoes. She had short hair barely reaching her shoulders.

"YesYes! Like Hidemi-chi said! Some clients feel reeeally weird~~" - With a kid like smile Tamayo agreed to the words of the newly introduced Hidemi.

Seemingly thinking about something, Hidemi once again spoke. - "Right. Yuuka I still remember the weird guy that had black hair and golden bangs. That one felt in a sense dangerous." - Hidemi trembled as she remembered that creepy guy.

"YesYes. The one that tried to flirt with Yuuka-chi but failed miserably! ~HiHiHiHi!~ " - Like a mischievous kid Tamayo spoke again looking at Yuuka

".….." - However, Yuuka was only silent, not aswering at all, but her thoughts were the same. This Town was really weird.

(True. I believe this Town hides something. Something really big, but what could it be?) - Yuuka was thinking while staring blankly at her Fashion magazine, soon enough her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the rotating door and the ringing of a bell.

The three were snapped out of their delusions and looked at the entrance.

A young man stood at their entrance looking around curiously.

(((Terrible Hair!))) - The three though at the same time.

The young man just looked around the room with hidden interest.

It was rather big, but with only three chairs for the clients to get their hair done. The rest of it was filled with high-class couches and shelves filled to the brim with different hair products. Towards the end of the room one could see a black door that leads far behind the shop. The walls were painted halfway in red and the other half, the one that reached the ceiling, in a pearly white.

The salon was oddly disproportionate. Only three chairs for all the space was rather odd but with the shelves, couches and other ornaments, they somehow made it look good.

The young man the three of them were seeing was dressed simply in average clothes. Those being a red, short-sleeved t-shirt and black jeans with black sneakers, quite simple.

But the hair immediately took their attention. It was too long and, in their eyes, it was far too dark of a brown for it to be natural.

(((He dyed his hair.))) - The three thought at the same time again.

Since they were experts that had even cut the hair of celebrities back in Tokyo, they had a lot of experience. So for them, it was impossible for his hair to be natural, it was a dark-brown but basically, brother to black.

(Where did he get a dye like that?) - Yuuka's thoughts were different however, never in her professional career has she seen a dye color like that, it was too _unnatural_.

She has participated in movies alongside the other two, so she knew their fair bit about hair dyes. Nevertheless, never had she seen one of that color.

Soon the young man reached closer, snapping them out of their thoughts once again.

Now that they looked closer, the man, even though he looked like just came out of the hospital, appeared to be quite good looking.

He had a sharp face that held a cold, uncaring expression with the slightest touch of a bad boy. Nevertheless, they felt a sense of camaraderie with this youngster, but they didn't understand why...

"He's quite the guy..." - Tamayo spoke in a rather small voice compared to the past but she was heard by the man.

"Well, thank you for the compliment. If a beautiful woman such as yourself says so, then I feel flattered." - The man answered in an unexpected voice none of them thought he had.

It sounded sharp, yet also warm. It left you with the feeling of wanting to listen more to that really odd combination of tones.

But his eyes were the ones that took the greatest effect on them. More than his hair, more than his voice and more than his rather plain but cold face.

(((What kind of eyes are those?!)))

The eyes of the man were black, yet a tinge of red could be seen in them. They felt cold and sharp denoting a great experience in life, something that no one should be through. Like a beast that was sleeping and shouldn't be messed with.

Issei used a minimum part of his Darkness to change his eyes into the state of his Demon Mark, that's why they felt something weird about them.

He did it just to look cool though. Since really liked how his eyes were in his Demonic State and even though he loved his former honey-colored eyes, they made him look dumb and goofy, so for first impressions, they were not the best. He wanted to look good and not be underestimated, so he used his Darkness to help him in this ambit.

The three swallowed their spit discreetly. This man felt the same as the black-haired and golden bags creepy man. Even his presence excluded the same air of danger.

For the first time since they came to the Town of Kuoh, their doubts were cleared.

(This Town definetly has something hidden, something really important and dangerous!) - Yuuka thought as her eyes stared holes at the young man in front of her.

(...This Town, what the hell is it hiding!? First the creepy dude, now this guy that his entire presence practically screams danger! Just what is happening here?!) - Hidemi thought as the man looked around once more, seemingly impressed with the place.

(This place... we need to investigate more about it. I believe this guy knows something, maybe he can tell us.) - Tamayo, for the first time in a long time, became serious.

"Eh, excuse me. Could you please help me with my hair?" - The man, Issei, spoke to them.

Yuuka was the first to answer. - "Yes, of course. This way please." - She pointed at the chair in the middle of the salon.

Issei sat on it and she quickly put a white, cotton sheet around him and tucked a towel on the back of his neck.

She then asked. - "How would you like the cut?" - A question that baffled him like many other times. He didn't know how to answer. But soon, like an angel that fell from the sky, the woman with the checkered hat spoke.

"Why not leave it to us? I'm pretty sure you don't know what to do!~ Better leave it to all of us! We'll help you get a perfect cut that accentuates the good points of your face and eyes. You'll look more _handsomeee_ ~~" - Tamayo replied instead of him, making Issei nod his head.

"Also, if it's possible, at the end, would you please answer a question from us?~~" - Tamayo asked the young man, getting surprised looks from her friends. But quickly with a look of her serious eyes, she shut them up.

"Sure, as long as I can answer it. There should be no problem." - Issei answered without thinking.

"Would you promise?!" - With stars in her eyes, Tamayo asked. Managing to make Issei surprised at the eagerness of the lively woman.

"I give you my word. Don't worry about it, I'm a man of my word!" - His voice sounded serious, it surprised all of them.

"Thank you! Don't worry, leave your hair to us!~" - She cheerfully stated and puffed her small chest, but before she could start the cut she was grabbed by the other two women by both of her sides.

"Would you excuse us? There is something important we need to talk about, it will be quick!" - Hidemi asked, Ise nodded his head. He didn't have anything important to do, so he just sat there.

"Thank You!" - This time Yuuka thanked him.

The pair of women quickly brought Tamayo towards the black door at the end, and soon disappeared from his sight.

"...What an odd couple of women..." - Those were his sincere thoughts.

* * *

.

"What are you thinking?!" - Hidemi spoke up.

"What do you mean? Clearly that guy knows something, so I just want to ask him! Don't tell me you're not interested, you're as much as I am!" - Tamayo explained, leaving Hidemi speechless.

Then Yuuka spoke up. - "True, but that was dangerous. We don't know what that man is capable of. It was risky, what if he doesn't keep his promise?"

"Oh come on. You saw how he answered. A man that confident and prideful will definetly keep his promise, trust me. Besides, this might be our only change to figure out what this place hides!~~" - Tamayo spoke up, her words left Yuuka speechless.

"Fine. But if anything goes wrong then you will be responsible!" - Yuuka said in a serious tone.

Tamayo just nodded.

"Let's go back, he is waiting.~~" - Tamayo left with a big smile.

"Are you sure about it, Yuuka?" - Hidemi asked while staring at Yuuka.

"... I don't know, but it's better than knowing nothing. If he doesn't keep his promise then we know there's something hidden here and quite big. And if he does keep his promise, then we will know what exactly is this secret!" - She spoke in a rather logical way.

"Okay." - Hidemi believed her words.

Then, both of them opened the door and walked back towards their client.

Issei just sat there waiting. He almost fell asleep but woke himself up as he heard the sound of the black door opening, instantly seeing the jumpy woman from before.

"Well let's start, the other two will come here any sec!~."

"Soooo, tell me. How would you like to look?~" - The woman asked Ise.

He replied in a confident tone of voice - "Cool."

The woman went wide-eyed but soon... - "I like it!" - She smiled, this time much more fiercely.

"The name is Tamayo by the way." - She formally introduced herself.

"Issei. Hyoudou Issei." - He introduced himself as well.

After that, the other two women came from the black door at the back.

One went to the rotating door and locked it in place while the other said. - "Since all of us are going to do this we need total peace. No distractions." - Issei nodded his head.

"Oh yeah. My name is Yuuka and she is Hidemi. It seems Tamayo already introduced herself."

"My name is Hyoudou Issei." - He said in a warm voice but that still had his sharp tone.

A little smirk adorned his face, taking them off guard. - "I'll be in your care." - Issei said as he saw small blushes on the three women.

(((It seems he can be quite kind.))) - The three of them noticed this.

"Gooood!~ Let's start." - Tamayo said with a cheerful voice.

"Yuuka-chi. Hidemi-chi. Lets make him look _cool_ ~~" - Tamayo told the women next to her, getting a quick nod from both of them as a reply. Then, they each grabbed a pair of scissors and a comb.

As fast as they could the three of them worked in perfect harmony.

(Perfect teamwork...) - Seeing them Issei was a little surprised.

* * *

.

Soon quite some time passed but his hair stayed almost the same.

"How did it get this long?" - Yuuka asked, mainly to herself, but Issei was a little startled by the sudden question.

"Would you mind telling us?~ It will take a while for us to finish and the awkward silence in a NoNo~~" - Tamayo asked him, intrigued by this as well.

Issei widened his eyes slightly and thought of his answer.

(Maybe talking with someone besides Ddraig would be good.) - He then decided to tell a modified version of the truth.

"Sure, taking it out of my chest would do me good." - He didn't know why but these women felt trustworthy, maybe they also experienced something rather bad in their lives?

"The woman I loved cheated on me and my ' _friends_ ' knew about it but never told me anything." - Those words were like a cold bucket of water for them.

"They treated me like a thing, not like a living being. So because of that I went and did stupid things. One of them was a journey into a forest in, I don't remember where. I stayed there for a couple of weeks and depended on the food I found there. I only returned 2 days ago. Finally feeling peace." - Issei finished his explanation for the three women.

This was the biggest shock they had received in a couple of years!

"..…." - All three of them almost stopped their work, shocked by his works. But thanks to being professionals, they continued with it.

"I'm sorry..." - The first to speak was Yuuka, feeling a bit guilty.

"Don't be, I already moved over it. I also know people that had it much more worse than I did." - His voice echoed all over the salon.

"Worse than you? You said you practically lived in a forest for how long?!"

"Probably a Month. I don't know, time is difficult to sense when you're on a mountain filled with nothing but trees." - This time Issei told them about his time with Old-man Tannin. So technically he wasn't lying, just mixing stories.

They were surprised. A Month?! No wonder he looked like that!

Insisting, Hidemi spoke up. - "Wow! And you say you didn't have it rough?"

"Not that much. My friend and rival, because of certain reasons, was abused by his own parents and threatened by his grandfather that if he didn't abide by his words then he will kill his mother right before his eyes. At the age of 9, he was thrown out of his house and left all alone since then. So he became kind of twisted in a sense."

They were without any words. That kind of thing sounded like a novel! But his tone of voice and the expressions he made all three women think. - (((He's telling the truth!?)))

After some seconds they calmed down.

"Wow... poor guy." - Tamayo spoke.

"Yeah, but he found his mother a couple of Months ago. He thought she was dead so seeing her alive really helped him quite a bit." - Issei said with a smile on his face.

The three women almost had tears falling down their cheeks.

"Well, at least he found something good in the end." - Yuuka smiled sweetly.

"Yeah, I'm happy for him. He was one of the worst I know of." - He replied, lost in his memories.

Astounded by his comment, the three of them asked. - """One of them?"""

"Yes, but the other stories are much more personal. I told you his since he doesn't mind for someone to hear his story. He already went past it." - Issei said to the three of them.

After the battle with Azi-Dahaka, Vali became calmer and he didn't mind his story being told to the Underworld that still sided with Rizevim. This made them see how horrible Rizevim truly was.

"What about of you?" - Yuuka asked as she finished cutting the long hair. Finally they where reaching somewhere with this hair cut.

"Me?" - Issei thought about it but he thought.

(Why not? Fuck it! There are many things in my head and better for me to let them out!))

"Sure I'll tell you my story, rather simplified though." - Issei closed his eyes and let his memories fill his head.

"The first woman I fell in love with wanted to kill me, she stabbed me through my gut during our first date, luckily I reached the hospital on time so I lived. Thankfully, later on, she was found dead. Apparently, I wasn't the first she had done this to."- He sighed with a bit of sentimentalism.

"Then I got my head stuck in a terrible business that almost cost me my life, again. A warmongering, crazy bastard wanted to start a fight, a reeeally big fight that almost got the entire City involved. He was part of the dirty part of the City, if you know what I mean." - His comment caused the women to flinch. - "Fortunately, he was stopped on time and imprisoned, so not seeing that ugly bastard again." - He remembered the little incident with Kokabiel.

"Then my _rival_ came for who knows what and threatened to kill my family if I didn't give him a worthy fight. Cheeky bastard said that he would turn me into an avenger by killing my friends and family so that I can become more _interesting_ of a rival." - He had a dark smirk on his face, half of it filled with dark amusement and the other half with nostalgia.

"It seemed that my normal way of life disturbed him and wanted me to become someone like him. Ha!" - He scoffed when he said those words. - "Failed miserably when he tried anything against my loved ones."

The woman was this time petrified completely, stopping their work.

After some seconds passed, Tamayo said some words. - "Don't say anything. It's our fault that we asked about it, forgive us."

"Don't worry, all of it is in the past. Now I want a peaceful life while traveling around the world." - Issei spoke, finding the best way to change the subject, they soon followed.

"""You want to travel?"""

"Yes, all over the world, that's my goal!" - His voice sounded confident and even excited.

* * *

 **—-A couple of hours later.—-**

* * *

 **.**

After a long time, mid-day approached. More than 3 hours were spent inside the salon.

The three women soon figured out that his hair color was natural! That took them by surprise. They asked about it but Ise only responded with a, ' _Sorry, it's a secret.'_ Giving them a hidden smirk.

Issei now looked at his new haircut, completely satisfied with it.

His hair was divided in a 70/30 cut. The line dividing it started right at the middle of his left eyebrow. The said line instead of going all the way vertically up the skull, it only went less than half, making him look better than never.

The majority of his hair and bangs went to the right side of his face, while some tufts of his hair slightly covered his right eye and right forehead. His left side was completely open, letting him see perfectly well. As well, some of his tufts fell at the side of his left temple, slightly covering his ear.

His former twin-tail at the back of his skull was gone, leaving him instead with a short and messy style that fell freely down his neck that complemented his looks rather well. His dark-brown hair made him look like a rogue, while his eyes made him look like a bad boy, it took quite the effort for the three women to not blush.

He thanked the three of them and stood up. He paid a rather expensive amount, but for him it was worth it.

He then looked back at them and said. - "Well, what was your question?" - He asked the jumpy woman, Tamayo.

(((It seems that he is a man of his word.))) - They thought, happy about his words.

After some time, Tamayo asked him the question that was filling their heads.

"We would like to know... What secret is this city hiding? Don't lie to us, we know something is different with this city than the rest we have been to." - Issei didn't know how to answer _that_.

Then Hidemi looked at him and said. - "We know you're not normal. Many weird people come and go and amongst them, you're the second one that is vastly different from the rest" - She told Issei.

"Second?" - He muttered.

(Who's the first then?) - Many options came to his head but soon he heard the voice of Yuuka.

"Yes. An old man with black hair and golden bangs. He had the same air of danger you have, and looked creepy and weird!" - Issei opened his eyes, only one man fitted the description of weird and creepy!

"Damn Azazel! You came here just to flirt with women again!" - He said in a quiet voice, but much to his demise the women heard him.

"""Azazel?""" - They asked, intrigued by the name.

(Fuck! Just my luck!) - Issei looked at them with a serious glint in his eyes.

He then turned around giving them his back.

"Fine, I'll tell you! But what I consider is sufficient!" - Issei told them while looking over his shoulder. His pride as a Dragon couldn't let him go back on his word!

"But you need to swear on your lives that you won't tell anyone! If you do then you will die, and it won't be by my hand!"

They swallowed their spit, surprised by his words. The look in his eyes proved to them that he wasn't kidding! However, they all nodded their heads.

"Lets just say that the world you know, is nothing but the tip of the iceberg." - Issei said in a calm voice, shocking them.

He lifted his hand upwards and summoned a sphere of his Darkness. Making all of them almost fall back in shock.

"Races other than Humans exist! Angels, Fallen Angels, Devils, Gods, Dragons! All those beings of Legend, all of them exist! It doesn't matter which Mythology they come from Christian, Greek, Japanese, Celtic, Norse, they all exist! The world for us is a bigger place." - Issei manipulated his Darkness and transformed it into a **'** **Purgatory Flame Bird'** to prove his point.

The ' _bird_ ' flew across the room, making the three women fall to their knees. They searched for each other and hugged each other. Their bodies were visibly trembling.

They couldn't believe it! Something like this actually existed!?

"The world for us is vast, dangerous and filled with many different things. Humans, in other words you three, shouldn't get their heads stuck with us! Believe me when I tell you that it's not something you should mess with!" - Issei finished his explanation and dissipated his **'** **Purgatory** **Flame** **Bird'**.

He moved towards the rotatory door and walked through it.

"Humans?! If you say that what are _you_?!" - Yuuka asked him, almost screaming.

Issei stopped, then he turned around and with enormous pride he told her.

"I'm a Dragon!" - His eyes changed into those of a reptile.

After turning back around he made his eyes turn back into those of his Demonic State, leaving the women in pure shock. Soon, Issei walked out of the salon.

After a couple of minutes of walking, twisting and turning, he saw a Bank.

(Wow, quite the luck there.) - He walked inside it.

* * *

 **—-40 minutes later.—-**

* * *

 **.**

"Damn are they slow! That much time just to open another account. Although it was international, still!"

Issei, while in the bank, opened and international account for him to use all over the Human World. He decided to transfer a small part of his savings, those of the _'Oppai-Dragon'_ show and the Copyrights of some merchandise.

Even though he transferred around 10% of the total. The amount made even the manager of the bank open his eyes wide and almost drool.

Because of the huge transfer of money that will benefit their Bank by a huge margin, they didn't even ask documents from him. So he named his account randomly, he called himself Fujiwara Takumi the first name that came to his head. Thankfully the most difficult part of his plan was completed, now he only needed to buy some decent clothing.

After some time, he decided where to go first during his journey.

He wanted to travel by a magic circle rather than by plane. The thing with the World Class Rating Game made him tight on time. So he was thinking about Kyoto.

Last time because of certain events he wasn't able to enjoy the trip, this time he wanted to enjoy it fully. First was his adventures, next to looking for members for his team.

Issei walked and walked inside of the Mall, soon he found something for the first time, escalators.

He noticed how the Mall had a second level but it didn't matter where he went to he couldn't find the way up!

"Finally, I can go up. I already explored the bottom level long enough!" - Placing his foot on the escalator, he slowly reached the top.

Reaching the top, he started to look around. Now the only thing he needed was decent clothing, after all, what he had was rather... bad.

"Hmmm..." - Ise was surprised by the sole amount of clothing shops he saw. Filling everywhere his eyes could see.

"This will be problematic." - He turned right and walked away of the escalators.

He saw many different clothing stores, yet because it still was rather early for students to come the place was not populated.

This Mall was built to attract young customers or rich ones, he didn't understand why though.

(I wonder why Sirzechs and Serafall decided to let the company into Kuoh?) - Unless he asked them, Issei had no way of knowing.

(Well, I don't really care about politics. For me they can do whatever they want as long as it doesn't affect me.) - Issei thought to himself as he walked and looked at the shops' windows.

Some stores specialized on a certain margin of products, such as suits for the gentleman. Others were for the ladies, in a rather private department. The rest were of jewelry or accessories for both men and women. He could even see a video game store all the way at the other side of the mall. Even a small library could be seen.

(Mental Note. Go to the library after finishing all the things I have to do.) - He stared at the distance, more specific, to where the library was.

Soon, he walked all the way to the other side of the Mall almost reaching the end of it.

"Really?! Not a single store which I find good enough?! Why?!"

Issei seemed to be unluckyness incarnate. He walked all over the right wing of the second floor, yet nothing caught his eye.

When he decided to turn around, a place peaked his interest, being at the far corner of the right wing.

He turned around and stepped closer, it was a simple place with a small entrance.

"Late Night Savior? Good name, I like it!" - Issei read in a loud voice.

A red neon sign stood proudly on top of the door. The door was a normal wooden door painted red and with a glass attached to the center of it. The words of the sign seemed handwritten instead of the normal print letter the rest of the stores had. Yet because of the small space the sign had, it seemed odd.

Right at the left of the shop laid a bare wall with quite a few free meters for maybe two or three locals to be opened.

"Weird... Not a single window except the one at the door?" - Issei analyzed as he looked at the weird local, his curiosity was bothering him.

"Maybe I should take a look inside? If this was done on purpose to attract clients then my respects!" - He walked closer to the door and went inside the shop.

* * *

 **—-Late Night Savior / Clothing Manufacturer and Shop.—-**

* * *

 **.**

The inside of the shop was a big room filled to the brim with different clothing patterns, mannequins and cloth.

In some locations, there were actual clothes such as Jackets, Coats, Trench Coats, Pants, Shirts and even Shoes. Whether formal or informal, male or female.

At the very left part of the place, where a couple of dressing rooms. Yet one couldn't see where one could pay for the clothing, something weird in a store.

On the wall towards the right, in between two dressing rooms, a woman was resting against the wall. No one could see what she was thinking about, her expression didn't show what she was thinking.

Looking at the ceiling, the woman had her left foot planted against the same wall. She looked like someone that the world couldn't understand, giving her a rather lone sentiment further accentuating her beauty.

She appeared to be in her early twenties and had the appearance of a really beautiful young woman.

She had black hair tied into two disproportionate twin tails, being the left one longer than the right. She wore a black lace dress with red ruffles at the end of it. Her sleeves were separated from the dress and were of the same black and red tone. She also wore high-class stockings with heels, both of them black in color. A perfect beauty in the eyes of any man.

Yet the thing that made her stand out, were her eyes. The left one is bright gold and the right blood red.

Her mature aura could charm any man, and the sexuality practically flooding off her would make any man drool at her sight. Of course, only normal people and perhaps some special cases.

"I wonder if at least someone would come today?" - With a tone filled with slight disappointment but also maturity, she talked to herself.

Soon, as if answering her prayer, a young man entered the store and looked around.

(Hmm?) - The young man had a rather sickly appearance as if he just came out of the hospital. Yet she could see the look in his eyes, sending shivers down her spine.

(This man is not normal!) - She reached the conclusion as she stared at those black and red eyes of his, filled with experience and sharpness.

She noticed that although his terrible clothing and physical appearance, he had a nice face; sharp and even a little bit cold.

He irradiated the charm of a bad boy and his hairstyle complemeted him perfectly, as if made exactly just for him.

(Mmm, a pity. If he had a nice body then he would be a Casanova in the whole sense of the word.) - Those words sounded a little exaggerated.

(He's probably a student, not even 18. So he has a lot of room to grow!) - She mentally added a note to the description of the young man.

"Hello. I would like to ask, what does this store actually do? By the looks of it, it doesn't just sell clothes." - The voice of the boy surprised her even more. Being sharp but also warm completely opposite sides, it made one want to hear him talk more.

(Damn, this is truly too much of a pity. If he fixed his physical appearance, then he will reach the top 5 best young man's I've ever met before! I, that have met idols and models! Such an unpolished diamond here in the middle of a small Town!) - The still unnamed woman thought to herself.

"Mmm? Excuse me?" - Issei spoke in a louder voice. Maybe she didn't hear him?

"Ohh~ Please excuse my rudeness, I was lost in thought.~"

Her tone being very mature and sexy almost caused him to blush. Good thing his Darkness helped him cool his head down. - (Damn! Another woman that practically irradiates sex appeal!) - As soon as he heard her response, he cursed his luck.

"Answering your question.~" - She tilted her head. - "This store doesn't sell other products other than its own! So this is also a clothing manufacturer as well as a shop!~ We even make special products for people as long as they have the money to pay for it!~" - The woman finished her explanation, making Issei open his eyes wide.

(So that's why the prices were that high!) - He now understood the mystery behind the store.

While walking over to the woman, he saw the prices being in digits that could make someone sweat in fright!

"So, as long as someone can pay the price you can meet all their demands?" - He asked the woman.

If it actually turned out to be true, then he had an idea!

The woman was surprised by the question, but since she already knew the kind of people that came here just to look and leave, she answered his question.

"Yes, it can be done.~ But the price will definetly increase, after all, it's tailor made!~ We even made our policy to be, that our clothes will be long lasting and not easily broken, even if one is shot at!" - She said the last part trying to scare the boy, she believed it wasn't possible for a boy this young to pay their prices.

"Excellent! Then I would like to order a couple of pieces!" - His answer turned out to be the opposite of what she thought he would say. Those words made her widen her eyes.

"Are you sure? It will not be cheap! And a deposit, alongside a contract needs to be done ahead of time!" - She tried to scare the boy off but a small smirk that made even her blush, just a little bit, appeared on his face.

"Worry not. If it's money, I have enough!" - Those words made her freeze in her spot.

Mechanically she nodded and said. - "Then come with me." - She guided him at the furthest ends of the store.

After walking for some minutes, he saw a black door against the wall.

"Please, come inside.~" - While opening the door, she told Issei. He just nodded his head and walked inside.

A staircase was the only thing in front of him, filled only with a couple of lamps on either side of it.

"Please follow me for the signing of the contract." - She walked in front of him and guided him. Unfortunately because she was too quick he couldn't see the place, but he could vaguely notice the paintings at the sides of the walls.

After following her for a while, she stood in front of a black door and knocked.

"Darling!~ We have a client!" - Her flirty voice echoed around the hall.

Soon after, a voice replied. - "Please enter!" - It was a grave voice, clearly a male. It was filled with confidence and strength.

The door was opened by the woman and the light inside the room filled his eyes.

The room was like a fashion studio with a few designs scattered on the floor, others at the walls and lots of paper everywhere. A desk laid at the back of the room, behind it a few bookcases with Fashion magazines and other books.

A man with dark-blue hair, around his middle-twenties wearing a formal, dark blue dress shirt alongside black pants was sitting behind the desk.

Many other designs about Coats, Pants, Shirts, and Shoes adorned his desk. Aside from that, there was a picture of him and the woman right at his side in what it looked like their wedding.

(Oh!) - Issei sounded amused. - (So both of them were married. Quite the lucky bastard!) - He looked at the rings on both of their hands, both gold in color.

The man looked straight at the boy, surprised by the thought of him being a client. After all their clothing wasn't the least bit cheap. However, instead of doubting, he entered into his professional mode. - "Well mister..."

"Issei. Hyoudou Issei"

Taken aback by the voice of the young man, he opened his eyes, examining him.

Soon he retracted his gaze, feeling it was rude. - "Well. I'm Tohkisaki Genji the owner of this store. Over there is my wife, Yue Tohkisaki. What type of clothing would you want?" - The blue-haired man asked Issei.

Issei adopted a serious expression and talked back at Genji.

Looking at him straight to the eyes, he answered. - "I would want a Trench Coat, a short sleeved T-Shirt with a 'V' neck. A pair of pants the same color and tone of the t-shirt and a pair of dark-brown boots that reach below my knee." - Issei stated his demands.

Genji wrote down his demands on a piece of paper.

After writing it down, he looked at him. - "Any special demands you would like to add?" - Genji asked him, Issei just nodded his head.

"I want it to be the toughest material you have! I don't care if the weight increases, I want it to be able to survive, if needed to be, an explosion!"

The married couple was surprised by the demands of the young man. This was, by far the most extravagant demand they had received!

Seeing the looks on both of them, Issei cautiously asked. - "Is there a problem?"

Both of them got out of their thoughts, but Genji answered him. - "No, there isn't. But the time needed for them to be ready will be long, those type of materials are rare. Also, the colors for them can't be bright, the material wouldn't accept them if it was."

The words shocked Issei. Time wasn't exactly his ally now.

(Damn! Maybe it will take weeks, even Months for them to be ready! I don't have the luxury of waiting! Time for plan _'B'._ "

"If you get them ready by Friday I'll pay you ten times more! I'll pay everything right now if you don't believe me!" - Issei used his trump card, _'money'._

The couple was so surprised their eyes popped out of their skull.

A handmade demand will take a lot of money, especially something of this level, and he wanted to pay ten times more?!

(He's bluffing!) - The woman quickly concluded. But she then looked at the eyes of Ise and saw pure seriousness and even a bit of desperation. - (It seems he's in a hurry...)

Genji thought the same, but the look in the eyes of the man showed him that he wasn't joking.

Quickly he started to calculations, he needed to estimate a price. - (If it's actually worth it, then I will move mountains if it's necessary!)

The store was in a good position, it even had many franchises around Japan. However, money was still money and it was more than welcomed! A franchise of this level was expensive to maintain, and an order of this size will definitely help them.

He finished the numbers, the price was an insult even to him. Then he added a digit more.

(With this the franchise will be stable for a year or more! Even a few projects could be finished!) - Genji showed Issei the prices, afraid that he will go back on his word.

(It's way cheaper than I thought!) - Issei quickly made his conclusion.

He thought he needed to use around 5% percent of his reserves on his new account but reality proved him wrong. - (This should be 0.5% of my reserves, give or take. Not bad!)

The amount of money he had in his account was enough to buy a City if needed to be. Of course, that was on his main account, not the one he just made.

(It seems that show really is a money printing machine!) - Seeing Issei stare at the contract with the price, both Genji and Yue started to sweat a little. Their hopes were entirely on him!

"I have no problem with the price. But are you sure you can have them done by Friday?" - Shocked by the acceptance of the man, Genji quickly nodded his head

"Yes don't worry! By Friday they will be done!"

(Even if I need to break myself into tiny, little pieces and use every contact I have. As long as you sign the contract, I'll do it!) - Genji thought inside of his head as fire filled his eyes.

Issei signed the contract and made the transaction.

Everything went smoothly making the three of them sigh in relief, soon after Genji spoke.

"Wife, take his measurements. I need to prepare the designs!" - She just nodded and took Ise away, but before he could leave Issei said something.

"Please make them as cool as possible!" - Genji just smirked and nodded. Maybe he had a thing with looking cool, who knows?

After that, his wife took measurements on everything needed.

Soon, lunch time came and Issei decided to go back home.

* * *

.

When he decided to leave, he was accompanied by Yue all the way to the exit.

Right at the main door she said. - "Worry not, they will be done by Friday. Trust us!~" - She smiled at him, making him smile a little, he trusted them for this.

"Thanks. My plans depend if they are done by the day or not, so please make it on time. It's really important to me." - Issei looked at her eyes, a trace of pleading was actually seen in them.

This took the woman by surprise, but she quickly thought. - (Huh? So he can be like this if he wants to. Nice...)

Smiling at him she just nodded her head and turned back.

Issei left the store and walked towards the escalators.

(Sorry library, but maybe next time!) - Feeling regret, he actually left the right wing of the second floor.

Reaching the escalator he made his way to the lower floor. He turned around once on the bottom floor and looked at the hairdressing salon. He saw it closed.

"Maybe it was too much for them?" - He asked himself as he turned around and started to leave the mall.

He wanted to go back home, he needed to train and finish the books he had planned for Today. He still had over half of them to read through!

* * *

 **—-Hyoudou Mansion / Entrance.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Issei finally reached his home, and since it was barely past lunch time, no one was inside. Thankfully, the women living with him liked to eat at the College, something he was grateful of.

"Well time to train!" - He crossed the door and reached the elevator, pressing the button he went to the second floor underground, right to the Training Field #2.

He wanted to engage in a routine of physical exercises and then practice and experimentation with his Darkness. Maybe by the end of the week, he will get even better, those were his expectations.

After Months of no training and only occasionally sparring with Kiba, during that time, he became rusty.

That, and the absorption of his Life Force because of the Evil Pieces turned him into a deplorable state. But because of the healing done during the _'Suicide Attempt'_ by Ddraig, as well as the complete awakening of his Aura, turning back into his former self won't be that hard. Perhaps if Lady Luck smiled at him, by Friday he will look decent enough.

(Let's hope for the best.) - Issei thought when he reached the Training Field #2. He once again saw no one.

Feeling happy, he walked towards _'All On Out'_ and did the same as the past days. He wanted to try and change the form of his Darkness this time into a physical weapon.

"If I'm not wrong there are many traits on my Aura. So why don't change it into a weapon? I like swords. But since _'Ascalon'_ is sealed inside the Boosted Gear, I can't practice with it." - He closed his eyes.

Imagining his Darkness changing into the shape of a sword, he tried for a little while.

Ever since he gained experience after the formation of his Purgatory Flame Bird, it was far easier turning it into a sword.

After spending no more than 20 minutes trying, he succeeded.

He didn't understand why, but the sword he formed looked extremely real. As if made with real metal.

"Maybe I concentrated far too much..." - Flicking the blade with his fingers a - * _Cling!_ *- was heard.

"Wow! That is hard! Even my finger hurts!" - He said, surprised by the toughness of the blade and shaking his hand to reduce the pain.

The blade was a short sword, far less than a meter in length. The whole blade was curved, similar to a snake and aside of its sharpness and durability, nothing else was special about it.

"Being this hard... Maybe this sword can withstand a full powered attack from Xenovia and her Ex-Durandal?" - Issei theorized as he played with the blade on his hands.

(Could I create more like it?) - Issei had a crazy idea, so he tried it out.

Soon after, in front of him, there were seven different swords. Different in shape, length and size. All of them floating more than a meter away from the ground.

(It seems my limit is seven blades, huh?) - Feeling a little disappointed, Issei stared at the seven blades.

"But well, since they are part of my Darkness I can control them with my mind. They will be easier to use thanks to that." - He noticed the blades moving when he thought about it.

"After all, I'm no expert at swordsmanship I only mastered the basics of it and that's thanks to Kiba." - Issei wanted to create as many blades as possible and shoot them like missiles. But the world didn't agree, after all, something like that would be far too strong.

"Well, seven blades that are extremely tough and sharp, can be controlled with my mind and summoned as long as I wish it. How should I name them?" - Issei thought as soon as he saw the seven blades.

After a lot of trial and error, he said. - "Rebellion... Yeah, pretty good!" - Issei was once again satisfied with his naming sense.

"Well, what now? I feel slightly tired and I already finished my training." - Issei said in a loud voice, not sure what to do. But soon enough he made his decision.

"Library! Yeah, I still need to read a bit more!" - Making his mind, he left the Training Field #2.

He walked towards the elevator, went inside of it and pushed the button with a five labelled on it. Soon he reached the Fifth Floor.

Opening the door to the Library, he walked around and reached the section of the longest ' _Mythology_ ' in History; Hinduism.

(This will be long...) - Grabbing the first book he saw, titled as ' _Rigveda_ ' he started to read inside his head.

( _I Laud Agni, the chosen Priest, God, minister of sacrifice, The hotar, lavishest of wealth. Worthy is Agni to be praised by living as by ancient seers. He shall bring hitherward the Gods. Through Agni man obtaineth wealth, yea, plenty waxing day by day, Most rich in heroes, glorious. Agni, the perfect sacrifice which thou encompassest about Verily goeth to the Agni, sapient-minded Priest, truthful, most gloriously great, The God, come hither with the Gods_...) - Issei was stupefied, he had never read something like that!

(What the fuck did I just read?) - Issei started his read once again, focusing on everything about it, completely losing himself in the text.

Soon, time went by...

"Did I just read 1,028 Hymns of Veridic text?" - Issei couldn't believe it, he just read a huge book in a small period of time! Well, small for him a Dragon.

"So basically around 70% of this text is praised to Indra and his deeds. That's surprising, but well he is a ' _Top 10_ ' so it's not that exaggerated." - Issei just finished reading the Rigveda, surprised by the deeds done by Indra.

"Truly the King of Gods..." - He then looked at the clock and saw it was only 9 PM.

"It took a while to read that one..." - Issei grabbed another book, another Veda.

According to this ,there was 4 Vedas known as; _'Rigveda', 'Yajurveda', 'Samaveda' and 'Atharvaveda'_. So reading all 4 of them plus the rest of the ' _Epic Texts_ ' will take a while.

* * *

.

Time flew, it was now Midnight.

Issei felt tired, reading all of the next Veda's made him exhausted, plus this type of texts weren't his favorites.

He stood up from his place, went back to the bookcase and put the book into its original place. Then he grabbed something else, another story.

The ' _Ramayana_ ' an Epic about Prince Rama. A famous epic story about the Incarnation of a God and the one that got a body that could not be harmed by the Gods, named as ' _Ravana_ '. It seemed to be quite the story, so he chose this for tomorrow during school.

Issei grabbed the book and left the Library with it. He went down two floors and reached his own room.

Yawning, he opened the door and close it once he was inside of his room.

He changes into his pajamas and tucked himself inside his bed. Tomorrow he actually needed to go to school, there was something important to do there.

He needed to keep appearances and not make anyone suspicious until he leaves. After all, he was going to take some ' _Vacations_ '. He also needed to talk with the Principal, explain about what he wanted to do and tell a small lie here and there to make it more believable.

If worst comes to worst, he could use a little bit of his Aura and make him do as he pleased. A little trick he learned today while he walked back home from the school and from the Mall.

A normal bird came flying at him and stood on his shoulder. Accidentally he released a bit of his Darkness but, surprisingly, he managed to control the bird!

However, the second time he tried it the bird exploded in quite a gruesome way. He figured out later, at his training, after he created Rebellion, that only normal creatures could be more or less controlled. He only needed to insert an extremely small amount of his Darkness and it was done. But the chance of succeeding was at most, 50%. He didn't want to try it out with the Principal, but if he was left with no other choice then...

(There's no need to worry. The human body is much more resilient and no other side effects were shown with the first bird. I only need to be cautious.) - Issei thought to himself while he closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. This time he actually needed to go to school.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Hyoudou Mansion / Morning Kitchen Table.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Issei woke up early and this time he did not get distracted by anything. He slowly ate his breakfast and prepared to go to school. He truly didn't want to go but things needed to be done, and only he could do it.

Grabbing his now empty plate and glass, he washed them and left them to dry. Looking at the clock he saw a number he liked.

(Thirty minutes till eight. I have enough time, but better start going.)

Going at the entrance of his house he grabbed his bag and checked its insides. Seeing that everything was inside it, he grabbed his keys, opened the door and walked outside.

The morning sun momentarily blinded him, but not long after he regained his sight, however, it was still a rather chilly morning with an annoying sun to top it off.

Closing the door, he walked away from his house.

(Maybe Today will be a rather good day.) - Issei smirked as he opened his bag and took out the Ramayana.

While grabbing the book with a single hand and his bag with the other, he continued his trip towards school.

A few minutes later, Issei was completely absorbed with his book. The story was great, just his favourite type! Of Heroes and Villains, filled with intrigue, kidnapping and rescues. A good classic in his opinion.

He crossed the school gate without taking his eyes off of the book, mentally thanking that it wasn't shut tight like Yesterday.

Walking with a calm glint in his eyes, he ignored everyone and everything. Soon he reached the entrance of the main building of the school.

Stopping his walk he looked up. He saw the Kuoh Academy in her greatest splendor. The first time he was coming here since his ' _Revival_ '.

(Well... actually, it's the first time I'm inside of it, Yesterday didn't count. After all that Bastard-sensei closed the gate right before me!) - Issei still hated that sensei, fucker...

"Maybe... it wasn't that bad." - He thought. - "I got all the other stuff I needed to do ready and I'm only left with the school issue. At break, I'll solve it."

Issei approached the stairs, quickly walking up them and reaching the third floor. Finding the letter 'A' on a door, he walked inside.

Opening the door, he witnessed how pretty much everyone looked at him in surprise. Maybe it was because he didn't come Yesterday?

Ignoring them, he walked past all and reached his seat. It was on the last row, the second next to the window from behind.

He sat down and continued his reading not being bothered by anything nor bothering anyone. Then whispers were heard...

"Hey isn't that Hyoudou?!"

"Yeah... weird, he seems different..."

"He changed his hairstyle, maybe that's why?"

Many random classmates talked about him, especially about his change in appearance.

Since he didn't want to be discovered by someone at school, he didn't dare use his Darkness so his eyes were normal. He would only use it in isolated locations and in really small amounts. That way, the girls wouldn't suspect anything, especially Koneko that was sensitive to this kind of things.

A bald boy alongside a glasses-wearing young man, came near Issei.

"Yoh, Issei! Long time no see!" - The baldy said to Issei. But since Issei was too focused on his reading he didn't answer.

Then glasses spoke up. - "How are doing? If you're not feeling well, we can do a marathon at my house!" - Glasses suggested with a perverted light in his glasses.

Soon the women yelled. - """""Disgusting!""""".

But Issei closed his book, looked at both of them and spoke in a cold and sharp voice that made everyone feel scared.

"I have things to do, so no. I have no longer the time for such a stupid thing."

The answer made everyone in the class freeze. Good was his luck because no one of the Student Council nor the ORC studied with him, so he could act more freely.

Everyone screamed in shock. - """""What?!"""" - Clearly not expecting that.

Issei just ignored it and opened his book again. Yet this time the two perverts spoke with a louder voice.

""Hah?! Even though we felt pity towards you, that's how you pay us?!"" - Issei ignored them and continued his book, it was better that way, for everyone.

Angered by the no response of Issei, they came closer and tried to, One steal his book and Two pull his chair away from him.

Once they reached close enough. Glasses went for the book while Baldy for the chair, perfect teamwork indeed. But before they could reach him, they froze solid. Actually, everyone inside the classroom did.

Issei looked at them, but this time he released a really small and controlled amount of his dense aura. Just his normal one, not his Darkness. They weren't worth the honor.

The entire class was frozen, as if time stopped.

The ones furthest away felt chills and the ones that were closer felt light-headed. Yet the two in front of him were pale. Their faces were clearly embedded with panic.

(Shit! Maybe I just traumatized them!) - Issei hurriedly retrieved his aura.

The time he let it out was less than a second, so he believed no one important noticed it. Ever since the Evil Pieces were gone his natural aura became more dense and heavy, even suffocating to the ones that were sensitive to these type of things.

Baldy and Glasses stood there, frozen for a couple of minutes. Minutes in which no one spoke.

"What was that?!" - A random student asked in a loud voice, shocked by what had happened.

"What did you do Hyoudou?!" - A female student screamed to him. But like before, he just ignored her.

What he didn't expect was for two known women to come near him, a pink-haired and a brown-haired. They were Katase and Murayama.

""What did you do pervert?!"" - Both screamed at Issei, making his eyebrow twitch. He hated to be called like that! He didn't want to hurt them but even he had his limits. If the sensei didn't come soon then he was afraid he would do something... something he will not regret.

""We asked you something pervert! Answer US!"" - Screaming again, Issei was losing his patience.

""Did you hear—"" - Soon another student appeared and tried to stop them. Issei was grateful towards this nobody.

"Murayama-san, Katase-san. Please, let's not disturb him. Whatever happened it wasn't against us, it was at the both of them." - The student pointed at Baldy and Glasses that were still frozen solid.

(Wow! Someone with a brain. Nobody#1 you gained my respect!) - Issei thought.

"What do you mean?! We want answers and the pervert is going to give them!" - Murayama replied, soon followed by Katase nodding her head.

"Yeah! We are going to get the answers out of this pervert! Just what did he do right now? That wasn't normal! Well not like he once was!" - Katase said, insulting Issei even more.

""So pervert. In you stupidity we order you to tell us what you did?! If not then—""

"Then, what!" - Issei stood up from his place, anger filling him, but it seemed the two of them couldn't understand the indirect.

""We will beat—""

They abruptly stopped as an aura far much worse than before spread all over the classroom. Everyone started to tremble. The ones at the back quickly tried to leave, but a cold and sharp voice stopped them.

" **You will hit me?** " - Killing intent flooded his words.

Issei was angered, he did not do a thing! Yet these pieces of trash that are a dime a dozen each, actually insulted and threatened to attack him!

"Give me, a fucking, BREAK!" - Issei roared, he hadn't felt like this for a long time.

The two of them were petrified, not capable of moving. Fear corroded their souls, they could see how the one in front of them was no human!Their instincts told them to run, the further the better.

In front of them stood something that was above everything they have ever seen!

In front of them stood a predator, ready to destroy its prey!

They could even swear how his eyes changed to those of a reptile, scaring them even more.

Issei continued. - "I bothered no one. I only did my own business and YET, you were trying to act all high and mighty in front of me! You insulted me and even wanted to beat me! Let me tell you _something_." - His words were as sharp as a knife.

"In the world out there. You lot, are not worthy of even being called an ant. So stick this into your heads, don't mess with someone that's way above you—" - For all, the message ended there, yet for the two of them it did not.

Issei walked closer and whispered into their ears.

With a voice that sounded deep, cold, sharp and emotionless. - " _On the food chain_." - He growled.

Understanding the message, they ran away from him. Horror was the only thing inside them right now.

(Well, it seems that I need to hurry my plans. Since they ran out of the class people will start asking questions. Better go with the Principal now and try to convince him. If not, then I'll use my Darkness on him.) - Issei grabbed his stuff and began packing. His book, of course, was still on his hand.

When he stood up, he walked past all of his classmates and reached the door. But then, he heard the voice of someone he knew.

"Where are you going Hyoudou?" - Issei stopped for a moment and looked over at a certain someone.

He looked at Kiryuu and with cold eyes and equally cold voice, he said. - "None of your business." - Then he walked away.

At the beginning, when he first came inside Kiryuu wanted to talk to him, but looking back at him she saw that he wanted to be alone. The look on his face clearly showed that, so she respected it.

After that, she saw how the two perverts tried to lure him into something but he rejected it. Infuriated, they tried to do something, however, they failed, pissing Issei off in the process. And because of the aura they felt, Murayama and Katase tried to get answers out of fear. But just provoked him even more, soon he exploded and well, the result was obvious.

She knew Issei was part of the supernatural but for the past few months she hadn't spoken much with her three friends, so she didn't know what had happened. But she could guess something happened to him, and something _bad_.

Since the last couple of Months he was acting weird, he even looked pale, as if sick. She didn't know why, but she felt something big changed inside him. But what?

(Just what did you experience, Hyoudou Issei?) - She silently thought to herself.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Outside the Principal's Office.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Outside of his classroom and a floor higher, Issei knocked on the door of the Principal's office.

The hallway he was at was literally a floor above his own homeroom.

(Why all the way up here? Isn't it annoying?) - Ise thought of as he stared at the only door in the entire hallway.

A pure white door that stuck with the theme of the school, a little golden plaque hung from a nail on the door. One could read "Principal" on it.

(Well... that's quite simplistic.) - Issei thought that this place would be filled with ornaments and who knows what, but it was really simple looking.

(Hmm? He could be a person that's not materialistic.) - While having those thoughts the door was opened by someone.

An average-looking man greeted him, he wore a black striped suit with a reddish tie. He looked average in every sense of the word just like an office worker. He even had a normal haircut that accentuated his oval face, but the fact that he was the principal spoke volumes of how good he was at his job. His name was Morimoto Ichinosuke a long name, to write and to pronounce.

"Good morning, Mr. Hyoudou. What do you wish to speak of?" - Principal Morimoto spoke to Issei.

"Oh! About that, why don't we talk about it inside your office? It's really important." - Issei tried to lure him in so that they were just the two of them, alone.

Surprised by this, Morimoto only lifted an eyebrow but quickly invited Issei in with a smile. - "But of course! Please come inside!" - That sentence made Issei smile.

The office of the Principal was the opposite of the hallway. Filled to the brim with ornaments, bookcases, lamps, papers, etc.

(It seems... I was wrong...) - He replaced the mental note he had on the Principal.

The place had tree walls, while the other one just was a big window from the top to the bottom. It was covered by black curtains that now were half open, letting light in.

The wooden floor shined as if polished and at the very end of the room laid the Principal's desk.

It was big, almost covering the entirety of the wall behind it. A few stacks of papers were piled on the desk and a leather chair was the only thing behind it. In front, laid two wooden chairs for someone to sit on.

Issei quickly sat down on the left chair and crossed his arms. The Principal did the same on his leather chair.

"Well, what do you want to talk about?"

Issei changed his face into a serious expression. - "I want to leave the school for the semester."

Morimoto was surprised, opening his eyes wide he let his jaw hit the floor.

"Please think about this again!" - Slamming his hands on his desk as he stood up, Morimoto almost jumped off his chair. Ise knew that this was the normal response, after all, he wanted to apply for a leave of school.

"Please, let me explain." - Issei kept his calm like he always does.

"The reason I'm doing this is that recently I have been through some terrible events, and I wish to have some time for me to think and relax. Recently, I've become more explosive and easier to anger, so I believe applying for a leave for the rest of the semester will do me good. " - Issei finished his well-prepared speech.

(Well, I can't tell you I want to leave to explore and journey around the world now, could I?) - Mentally telling the truth, Issei still kept his calm demeanor.

"Denied." - Morimoto answered Issei in the blink of an eye.

(Ha! I already knew you would say that. After all, what I'm asking for is impossible unless you use a lot of your contacts and resources. However, I don't need your permission!) - Issei stood up from his seat.

Morimoto thought he was angry but soon that thought went out the window. He saw Ise reach out his hand, maybe a handshake?

"I thought it would be impossible. But well I was not asking for permission." - The voice of Ise grew cold and sharp.

Because of the change in tone of Ise, Morimoto just sat there not capable of moving. He saw how Issei's hand reached to his head and grabbed it. After that, he felt his entire world turn black.

Issei activated his Darkness, feeling his Demonic Mark appear he used a little of his Aura and covered his middle and index fingers. Soon, he felt how a small fragment of it went inside the Principal's head.

Like a puppet whose strings were cut, the head of Morimoto made a loud. - * _Bang!_ * - Against the wooden desk.

"Good thing he fainted." - Issei was startled when he saw Morimoto's eyes lose their light.

He thought at the beginning he fucked up and like the bird he would also explode, but was proved wrong.

"Haaaa..." - He released a sigh of relief.

He then did his thing and after a couple of minutes, he ordered his Darkness to wake him up.

The Principal woke up, light magically returning to his eyes.

"Principal, are you okay? You just felt lightheaded and lost consciousness there for a little moment." - Ise explained to the Principal.

"Recently I haven't felt like in the past, forgive my rudeness. About your request, I'll do it, so there's no need for you to worry. By tomorrow, everything will be done. So after today, there's no need for you to come to school. Only after the semester has ended should you come back."

Issei silently nodded and stood up from the chair. He walked over to the Principal and extended his hand, waiting for a handshake.

"I'm grateful, thanks for understanding Principal. I will take my leave, please finish it as soon as possible." - Ise shook the Principal's hand and left the office. He finally finished everything he needed to do. Now he only needed to finish his knowledge gathering and training, then he could leave.

(Finally... everything's done. I can take a break for a while. I'm glad my Darkness is only subconscious control and not pure control. That way it would seem the idea was approved by him and not forced, making it harder to undo.) - Issei thought inside his head.

Closing the door, he went out of the office. Leaving the Principal to his new work he placed as an utmost priority.

Issei walked through the hallway and reached the staircase. He was debating whether to leave right now or continue his day. Soon the toughest decision he ever thought of was made.

"Since it's my last day here, why not spend it in Kuoh? I want things to be done right and leaving now would leave me with a bad mouth taste." - Issei finished his debate and went down the stairs.

Reaching the floor his homeroom was at, he slowly walked towards his classroom with his hands in his pockets. Not caring about anything.

(Hmph! Lets do this!) - The pride of Issei spoke up once again.

He reached the sliding door and opened it. For the first time Ise finally saw their homeroom teacher.

A decent looking man stood at the front of the classroom. He wore glasses and instead of a suit, he wore a dress shirt with dress pants alongside a jacket. All the getup, except for the jacket, was navy-blue in color. The jacket was brown, creating a good contrast.

He was rather tall, one meter and eighty-three centimeters in height, but he didn't look fit. He wore brown formal boots reaching the ankle, completing his outfit.

He looked at Issei and practically roared. - "Hyoudou Issei! You're late!" - Obviously trying to intimidate him.

(Pfft! Even Apophis wasn't able to scare me, much less you!) - A small smirk adorned his face. The sensei saw this and because of anger, a vein in his forehead popped out.

"More respect! You should arrive on time if not—" - He was abruptly interrupted

"If you want to scold me about something, then you should also fulfill it. If I'm not wrong you were also late." - Issei replied in a deadly calm and cold tone, making the teacher feel a chill running through his spine.

"Hyoudou Issei! You should respect you superiors!"

Issei was tired of this, so while closing the door and to the shock of his classmates, he once again spoke up with a frigid tone that made everyone feel goosebumps. It was the same tone he used when he talked to the two women a little while ago.

"I don't give my _respect_. My respect is _earned_ , and a merely substitute teacher that entered a couple of months ago because of pure luck hasn't done anything to earn my respect!" - Issei told the sensei as his eyes turned icy and razor sharp.

The substitute of Rossweisse couldn't retort to anything, whether because of anger or fear no one knew.

Issei walked towards his spot beside the window and sat there like nothing had happened. Everyone was surprised by the comment he just did, they never thought the goofy, perverted boy could be so ruthless with his words.

The young drake ignored that and just took out his book, wishing to finish it before break started. He leaned back on his chair and rested both if his feet on the desk, uncaring about what the others would say about him.

Class started after a while. The sensei completely dismissed Issei as if he didn't exist, of course, Issei did the same.

Classes soon went by without any incident, something Issei was grateful of.

When the first break arrived, Issei stood up from his seat. Since the sensei didn't do something else to him, he was able to finish his book without a problem.

His face was expressionless, but his mind was a different story.

(Damn! I knew this story was good but never would I have thought it would be that good!) - Like a kid, he screamed inside his head. If someone saw this attitude then they would be surprised, the former cold and sharp Issei was now back to being kind and warm.

He walked outside of the classroom. Afterwards, he went towards the stairs and he soon reached the bottommost level of the building.

He walked out of the building and went to get some food from the cafeteria, it was just a small walk away in a separate building. Whatever they had was enough to satisfy him.

(I wonder what would my last meal on school be?) - He reached the cafeteria and walked across the double-sided glass doors, but what he saw made him tilt his head in confusion.

Just as he walked inside the noisy cafeteria quietened down. _Everyone_ , male or female turned their heads and practically drilled holes with their stares.

(So rumors already spread about me... That's quick!) - He was surprised at the speed which rumors flew at.

"What are you looking at?" - He said with a keen tone of voice that send shivers down their spine. They all quickly turned around.

Issei just scoffed loudly at them and went to the cashier to pay for his food.

He paid for a plate of curry, although the food was Indian, the Japanese version isn't far behind it.

He grabbed his plate and went towards an empty table at almost the corner of the place, he sat down and started to eat. The discrete looks of the students didn't go unnoticed by him, but he decided to ignore them.

He swiftly ate his food because he didn't want to be found out by anyone. During this period of the day, _they_ came here frequently...

But, it seemed that too much luck was on his side during these days. He sensed something and turn to look at the entrance of the Cafeteria, there, he saw three people.

One was a certain white-haired little girl with amber-coloured emotionless eyes. Sticking to the side of a boy at her side.

The other was a blonde girl with twin-tails that turned into rolls at their ends. She had deep blue eyes and a rather busty figure for her age. Like Koneko, she also wore the Kuoh Academy uniform. She was also trying to hug the side of a boy, but every attempt she made was stopped by Koneko.

(You gotta be shiting with me...) - Issei thought as he saw the boy, rather kid, in between them.

Black, shortly trimmed hair adorned his face. He looked much like a doll, and someway or another reminded him of Gasper. His eyes were blue and they were filled with happiness and naivety. He looked skinny and fragile, clearly, he didn't do any kind of exercise.

He also wore a similar school uniform as the other two but because of the skinny figure he had, it made the uniform look wobbly and a size too big for him! it didn't exactly fit him either.

However, Issei felt something _off_ from the boy, something he was familiar with.

(A Sacred Gear, huh? And by the aura he's emitting, it seems he already awoke it.) - It seemed this guy wasn't normal.

Feeling intrigued he scanned his body, trying to figure out more about the little boy. He was amused when he felt rather decent magical reserves, for a human that is.

(By the pulse of power from his Sacred Gear, it seems to be a little above average. It also seems its focused on the increase of his magic reserves. So a support-type, huh?) - Issei finished his analysis.

The magic reserves he felt from the human were around those of a High-Tier Low-Class Devil or a Mid-Tier Mid-Class Mage good for a normal human.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Inside the Cafeteria of Kuoh Academy.—-**

* * *

 **.**

The boy was named Hijama Takahashi. He had two elder brothers and he was special according to the women at both of his sides. He had something called, Sacred Gear.

A Sacred Gear was an artifact created by the God of the Bible and given to humans as gifts for their development. According to them, the most successful people in Human History always had a Sacred Gear.

When he first heard that he felt shocked, not really believing those words. But he found out it was the truth about two months ago.

The two women at his sides explained it to him. They also explained about the supernatural world, something he was extremely surprised about.

He at first felt skeptical about it, but after they showed him that they weren't human he finally believed it, the world was much bigger than he thought.

After some days, he decided to ask them to train him because of some words they said that left him with fear. Those words were that humans with Sacred Gears are hunted by dangerous beings such as Stray Devils, Exorcists and criminal of the Supernatural World.

After that, he discovered that both the women were Devils and powerful ones at it.

Ever since then he had trained with them, but he wasn't able to even scratch them. After all, his Sacred Gear specialized in increasing his magical reserves, so he was more oriented towards being a mage than a warrior. His body also didn't help him in that aspect...

(Haaa... Why did I get into all of this? Oh Yeah, because I thought I was going to get killed otherwise by those Criminals.)

While remembering those words, he sighed inside his head but after some seconds he felt a chill run down his spine. Getting on his guard he tried to detect the one that was releasing this feeling inside of his body.

(What?! Who is?!) - He thought as he opened his eyes wide in shock.

He felt he was being examined by a really strong being, that sensation gave him goosebumps.

(Someone is scanning me?! I can't find it! But whatever it is, it's definitely not human!)

He stood still, trying his best to find the one who made him feel like that, but the feeling soon was gone. The two women at his side didn't even sense it, proving that this ' _enemy_ ' was stronger than both of them.

(Whatever it is, it seemed really strong! I didn't feel any killing intent so it seems it lost interest, good for me. After school I need to tell Ravel-chan and Koneko-chan!) - He continued his walk to the cashier, but he didn't let his guard down, just in case.

On the other side of the cafeteria, Issei was a bit surprised.

(Hoh! Capable of sensing something was scanning him, good senses. But since you weren't capable of figuring my location with such an obvious scan, then you have much to learn brat!) - Ise estimated his level inside his head.

He thought the two women at his side would feel something, but it seemed that they were much more focused on their fight, proving that they let their guard down.

In the instant they let their guards down, if Issei wanted to, he could probably attack them and hurt them pretty seriously with only one move.

(It seems the brat is trained by the both of them. Since he was capable of sensing something it means he specializes in magical combat and sensing. Ravel teaching him the first while Koneko the second.) - Issei once again analyzed him, but he did not care about the brat, he only had an above average Sacred Gear at best.

(Maybe I should find a book about Sacred Gears?) - He quickly thought of.

Yet his thoughts were dissipated by the sudden sense of, disappointment?

(Really? Did they change me for someone like that? He is nothing. His only decent quality is because of his Sacred Gear, aside from that he doesn't have any other outstanding abilities. Haaaaa...) - His thoughts were, _'They really left him for someone like that?'_

He was disappointed, at least make it someone that has a strong personality! The brat doesn't even have something like that!

(If he was at least as handsome as Kiba then I would, someway or another, not feel this much disappointment. Yet he looks like a girl and even worse than Gasper!)

Finishing his monologue Issei left the cafeteria, he still had some classes left.

The bell rang as he was walking up to the stairs. He was the first to reach the classroom.

He just sat down with a rather bored look on his face, waiting for the classroom to be full. The peace and quiet only lasted that long, voices soon where heard but since he did not care about it he only patiently waited there.

After what he felt was an eternity, he saw how the classroom was getting filled. Moments later a different sensei appeared, this one on time.

(Is it that hard for someone to reach class on time? At least this sensei actually made it on time.) - He remembered the cocky teacher of the morning lecture.

Class started and he just looked out the window, he was easily bored by the sensei.

The slow pass of time was eternal. Issei just wanted to leave this place that made him lose whatever sanity he had left.

Without something to pass time with, he could only imagine new ways to use his Darkness. He kept thinking about different things but none satisfied him, it seemed he ran out of creativity juice.

(Haaa... It seems I need to wait to start my journey for me to become stronger. Without the necessary experience then it's useless to imagine other things! But by the looks of it, seems like that another trait of my Darkness is to accomplish anything I think of within certain limits, and of course through _a lot_ of effort.) - Issei continued his monologue, but he was cut off his thoughts by the beautiful sound of the bell.

He grabbed his stuff, threw it inside his bag and left. He was finally free!

He went down the stairs and as a flash of lightning he went through the main door.

Leaving the school building, he saw how many students weren't crossing the main gate. Maybe they were talking with their friends or something?

He walked with a slow pace, this being the last time he was going to be here at least for a long time. He turned around to look at his school but another big structure piqued his interest.

"The Occult Research Club..." - He looked at the building in the shape of an old mansion, inside the pseudo-forest of the Academy.

He could see some rather old trees on its facade, covering the broken parts of it. Weeds and flowers ran up its walls giving it a creepy look. The sun, with its orange tint, painted the walls with a reddish tone and parts of the wooden frames of the windows looked decayed and about to fall off. The big, rusty iron gate at its entrance was wide open.

"It seems something is going on there. Should I go?" - The young drake thought about his possibilities of being found out.

He could use his Darkness to cover his body and then erase his presence. Since he didn't have the Boosted Gear, his magical presence also changed, so even if he was found out they wouldn't know it was him. But was his curiosity that big? He felt conflicted.

After debating a bit he could see different people going towards the gate of the building, some familiar while others, not as much.

"Haaa... Why has my curiosity increased so much since I got my Aura?" - Disregarding any other thought, he slowly walked towards the same direction as the people he knew.

Activating his Darkness he felt his Demonic Mark appear on his forehead, then he concentrated on erasing his presence. With his Demonic State active, it was much easier than before. In this state his control over his Aura and his Life Force was much, _much_ better, so he was confident they wouldn't be able to find him.

Closing in on them, he followed them silently.

Reaching the big, mossy wooden door, he saw them open it and soon followed. He was really close to them but they weren't capable of noticing him.

(Damn! If I was somehow capable of transporting myself even if it can't be used during a battle, it would still be much too useful!) - Issei thought about that as he added another ' _to-do_ ' to his list of experiments with his Darkness, he already had quite a few.

He followed them to the second floor and as soon as they reached the door, where he knew the office of the club was, he moved inwards.

Before they could close the door, he covered his hand with Darkness, covering his left arm on its entirety and giving a really odd-looking claw. This being a project he was working on for since the last week as a for of increase in range and power when fighting on close quarters.

He stuck his enlarged index finger in the gap between the door and thanks to the strength on his hand, the door didn't move. It just stood still as if stuck, not a sound came from it as well.

He heard the voice of Rias on the other side, this amused him a little bit because of the presences of certain males he did not know of.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Inside the Occult Research Club.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Now on the ORC, the entire Gremory Peerage was there with the exception of Issei, Gasper and Rossweisse.

Irina and Ravel where here as well, but the most surprising guests were five male figures that stood at a side, all being the current love interests of the girls.

The first one was tall, he had blonde hair that reached to his shoulders and a rather fit image. He appeared to be in his early twenties and was wearing a blue polo shirt with blue jeans and black sneakers. His name was Reiji Minamoto, President of XXXX Faculty in Kuoh College Division.

The second and third ones looked similar, but they also seemed opposite to one another.

Both had black hair, but the former had it tied into a ponytail that fell down his back and it only reached his upper back. The other one also had the same black hair but it was really messy, with many bangs covering his face.

Both of them wore the Kuoh Academy uniform and looked quite similar, they looked young, around eighteen and had a delicate face that gave them the appearance of young boys. The former had blue eyes while the later black, other than that, they looked practically the same to one another.

They were Ryutaro and Souji Takahashi. Brothers by blood and both of them were the elder brothers of a young one.

The young one was Hijama, also sharing the same last name as the both of them. He was also present on the room, right at the side of his brothers behind the largest couch on the room.

The fifth one had blonde hair that was also mixed with brown. Making him have real foreigner-like hair and overall appearance.

He had blue eyes that were gentle but held a hint of smugness. He, as the three brothers, wore the Kuoh Academy uniform with a pair of black dress shoes. His name was Ken Mishima.

The five of them stood behind the couch because of the orders of Rias.

Soon she spoke up. - "Well, I'm grateful that everyone made it. I have important news for all." - She talked with a calm voice.

"According to my brother, a World-Class Rating Game will be held in the next couple of Months. Around three or four, the date hasn't been specified yet." - Rias talked while looking at her Peerage, Ravel and Irina.

"It means that any being of the supernatural world can participate in it. Humans, Devils, Angels, Fallen and _Gods_. Anyone can participate, as long as they signed themselves in before the last day." - Rias dropped the bomb, making her Peerage, Ravel and Irina open their mouths and eyes. But the five men didn't understand, they were kind of new to this.

"Rias-sama, are you saying that Gods can participate in this as well as other races?" - Kiba asked her, dumbfounded by the new information.

She just nodded her head. - "Yes, that's correct Yuuto. Everyone, _everything_ , can participate!" - Clarifying, Rias looked at her knight. But seeing the expressions of the five men that couldn't understand, she decided to explain to them.

"A Rating Game is usually a game of Devils in which they fight with their Peerages for fame and Glory. The Rating Games were made to satisfy the ego of the Devils and to prove which Peerage is stronger." - She began her explanation.

"In the beginning, they fought against each other saying, ' _My Pawn is stronger, or my Rook is stronger!',_ and because of those skirmishes the Rating Games were created. " - Rias talked about the Rating Games making the five men nod their heads.

Then Akeno continued. - "For the first time since the beginning of the Rating Games, a World-Class Rating Game will be held. One in which anyone can participate, we are telling you this because since now you all now belong to the supernatural you would be scouted by someone to be part of their teams." - Akeno finished the explanation while adding a bit more information.

The five were surprised, never would have they thought something like this will happen!

"Yes. Since all five of you posses Sacred Gears, others will start moving. After all, battle-oriented Sacred Gears are rare." - Rias explained to them again.

Reiji asked while crossing his arms. - "Battle-oriented?"

Akeno answered instead of Rias. - "Yes.~ Sacred Gears have classifications, whether battle-oriented or not battle-oriented. You five have battle oriented ones and because of that, someone will try to get you." - Her words shocked them.

"Reiji~ Although you already knew that the supernatural world existed thanks to your parents, you still do not know enough about it. Ufufufu.~" - Akeno looked at his lover and giggled.

Reiji was a pure born human but both of his parents where High-Class Mages, around Mid-Class Devils, in terms of power so they explained, since he was little, that the supernatural existed. However, since they didn't know much about it and only very simple information was given to him, he was not as informed as Rias' Peerage. That gap in knowledge was slowly being filled in by Rias and Akeno.

The rest of the men were also purely born humans, but with a Sacred Gear.

Ken liked spearmanship since small, so he knew a martial art to help him during a fight.

Souji, like Xenovia and Kiba, practiced with swords but he wasn't very talented at it, above average was Kiba's guess.

Reiji practiced Karate since small, that thanks to his parents since they owned a Dojo, and was quite good at it.

The rest didn't know a single martial art, so now they were being trained by the girls from scratch.

"Rias-sama. What about Gasper and Issei-kun?"- Kiba asked her, managing to get the surprised looks of certain girls, it seemed they forgot about Issei and Gasper.

But Rias answered with a calm voice. - "Don't worry. Gasper was the first one I told this information to, but since he doesn't want _her_ to be alone, he's still at the hospital. And Issei, I spoke to him a few days ago, he is already training!" - She explained to them with a tone filled with pride at the mention of her Pawn"

""""Issei?!""" - The three brothers screamed, they knew about the infamous reputation of the brown-haired boy.

"Hyoudou Issei, he's with you guys?!" - Souji screamed his question.

"Yes, Ise-kun is the sole Pawn of the Gremory Peerage." - Kiba answered back.

"That pervert!?" - Ryutaro spoke, this time his voice filled with disbelief and a bit of anger.

"...…" - Hijama only stood there, frozen in shock.

"What can that pervert do?! He can't do anything right, he's worthless and doesn't have any redeeming quality. A really stupid guy that has been threatened with expulsion far too many times to count!" - Souji spoke again, making Kiba crack his knuckles in anger.

"Ise is the possessor of the Boosted Gear and has fought many different beings that appeared only in Legends. He has even killed a few!" - Kiba spoke proudly about his friend, not wanting for him to be talked about like that.

"""Him?!""" - The twin brothers and Reiji spoke at the same time.

"Is he really the same guy!?" - This time Hijama spoke up, surprised by the words of the blonde-haired.

"That isn't possible! How could a pervert be someone that awesome, it's impossible, I refuse to believe it!" - Souji replied as quickly as he could, Refusing to believe those words.

Ken just stood there not saying a word. He knew about the reputation of his classmate, but he also knew to not judge a book by his cover.

"Yes Souji. Issei has really done that, I say he is the strongest in the Peerage!" - Xenovia answered him, trying to make him believe their words.

Seeing his girlfriend like that, he knew she was serious she wouldn't joke about something like that.

But then Reiji asked again evading that conversation. - "Boosted Gear? What is that? A Sacred Gear?"

Kiba answered his question instead. - "Yes. One of the thirteen Longinus and the strongest user of it." - His words caused them to be even more confused.

"Longinus?" - Ken for the first time asked in a loud voice for them to hear.

"Oh, Ken-san sorry. I forgot to tell you about that!" - Asia was feeling slightly regretful by not telling him this.

"The Longinus are the thirteen strongest battle-oriented Sacred Gears that exist. Once dominated to a certain extent, they can even kill Gods from the different Mythologies around the world!" - Irina answered his question, but it made all of them widen their eyes in shock!

"Something like that exist?!" - Ryutaro looked at her, surprised by the new information.

"Yes." - Irina replied while looking at him.

"So he can Kill a God?! Like the Gods in Myths?!" - Reiji was dazed, he tried to hide the small hint of fear in his voice.

"To be exact, he already killed a being with similar power to that of a God." - Xenovia told them absentmindedly, making all the men get goosebumps.

You really can't judge a book by his cover.

"W-Who did h-he k-k-kill?" - Hijama stuttered, however, Koneko still answered him. - "A Dragon."

Silence ruled the entire ORC, the men couldn't quite process _that_ kind of information, it seemed, and was, illogical to them. They knew about Issei, rather infamous reputation he had, seeing him as someone with the _power_ to slay a _Dragon_ of all things was irrational.

They looked around the club, trying to find any hint of being a joke or a prank. But the hard look on all present quickly crushed their hope to bits.

The five inhaled a cold breath of air at the realization, _this_ wasn't a joke. It was the harsh truth and there was nothing they could do to refuse it.

"H-He really slew a D-Dragon?!" - Souji asked, sweat falling down his cheek and trying to hide the tremors in his voice

"To be more precise an _Eeevil_ Dragon!" - Irina spoke once again trying to sound cheerful, maybe to calm them down.

"There are different types of Dragons?" - Ken asked back, his voice seemed to be emotionless but all could see his amazement.

"Yes. They are divided like any other race but after a certain, unknown threshold is reached, they... evolve." - Akeno decided to answer this question but was confused as well, she didn't understand much about Dragons, a race full of mysteries.

"There are normal Dragons from Low, Mid, and High-Class. Dragons that reach Ultimate class are basically unheard of across the Supernatural Globe and in History, so, there's no Ultimate-Class Dragon." - Rias decide to intervene and continued the explanation.

"Afterwards, there's a huge strength leap in their race and no one knows what causes it. It's a mystery. However, after that, a huge increase in power happens to the Dragon and they are able to reach the level above a supposed Ultimate-Class." - The men swallowed their spit, obviously uncomfortable with that kind of information.

"That _'level_ ' " - She quoted. - "Is known as Dragon King and rather than Class or Tier, is a Title signifying their status in their race. Across History there has been only Six Dragon Kings but the majority of them already are no longer active, so very few remain." - She said and took a breath of air.

"Above them are the Two-Heavenly-Dragons, the Red one and the White one. Ddraig and Albion. Both destroyed and sealed into Sacred Gears but were known for their power to _crush_ Gods. Ise possesses the Boosted Gear in which the Red Dragon was sealed." - She said with a teasing voice, but before continuing she was interrupted by Akeno.

"Above them are the Dragon-Gods, being the strongest among the strong. The Zenith of Power across the world. The Dragon of Infinity and Nothingness and The Dragon of Dreams and Illusions." - Akeno finished her explanation, gifting Rias a teasing wink of her eye.

The males in question just swallowed their spit. Their bodies trembling, they now understood the meaning of, ' _A Mountain above a Mountain and a Person above a Person'_ , or in this case Dragon.

(((((The World was filled with all of this and I didn't even know about it?!))))) - They all thought at the same time.

"What about Evil Dragons?" - Hijama asked with a soft tone of voice, realizing that they weren't mentioned.

"Evil Dragons are like their names say. Dragons that became corrupted, whether by outside forces or by their own wills. Turning them into beings of evil." - Ravel spoke for the first time since they came inside the room. Since the beginning, she was completely silent but this time she wanted to speak. Therefore, she answered the question in the best way possible.

Kiba continued her explanation, this time with detail. The five males thanked him mentally. - "Among them, there were a few which were the strongest of the Evil Dragons." - He looked at them and continued his explanation.

"From the strongest to the weakest they were; The Crescent Circle Dragon—Crom Cruach, Diabolism Thousand Dragon—Azi-Dahaka, The Primal Eclipse Dragon—Apophis, The Insomniac Dragon—Ladon and last but certainly not the least, Crime Force Dragon—Grendel."

"The first three had the strength of a Heavenly Dragon, but among them only Crom Cruach is alive." - Finishing the explanation Kiba catched his breath.

"W-What happened to the other t-two?" - Souji asked, confusion written across his face and fear in his tone.

"Azi-Dahaka was killed by the Hakuryuuko during a fight. Apophis was killed by Issei, the Sekiryuutei." - Rias explained to them about what happened to the Evil Dragons.

"Hakuryuuko, Sekiryuutei'?" - Ken questioned, not understanding, why the names?

"The ones who hold the Sacred Gears in which the White Dragon and Red Dragon have their souls sealed, receive those titles. As the current possessors Vali and Issei hold the titles." - Rias answered the question of Ken.

But another came after that. - "Vali? Who's that?" - Ryutaro asked while keeping his eyes on Rias. But Akeno at her side, answered instead.

"Current Hakuryuuko, the possesor of the Divine Dividing and the host of the White Dragon. Maybe if you're lucky, one day you will meet him~" - Akeno explained, not telling Vali's full name on purpose, she didn't want more questions.

Finishing their explanation, the five of them took some time to assimilate the information.

Then, they said at the same time while bowing their head, just like it was rehearsed. - """""Please train us!"""""

They wanted to be strong. If the world counted with such terrifying beings and one of them was a seemingly normal boy. Then they needed to be strong enough to protect themselves.

Surprised at their response, Rias asked. - "Why?"

"Because we want to protect the people we love alongside with ourselves!" - Reiji represented the group and said those words.

The answer made all the women freeze. They remembered the same words as a brown-haired boy, making them feel conflicted.

They still loved him but they also loved their current boyfriends as well. That's why the treated him like that. They felt conflicted, and every time they saw him they felt, even more, that's why they evaded him and ignored him.

They had to put their feelings at ease and think clearly, something that they hadn't been capable of. Not yet.

They wanted to be with him, but they also didn't want to end their relationships with their boyfriends just like that. The clash of feelings made them feel guilty, that's why they evaded, scorned and ignored him. All the girls felt the same but they knew something needed to be done. Far too long has passed and they didn't know what Issei was doing.

Since they were going to live for ten thousand years. They wanted to gain experience in a relationship. Rias and Akeno wanted to try approaching to other types of boys to gain experience. Since they would spend their eternity with Issei, they had time, and compensate for all damage done—if it was done, at another time. But they didn't expect that their interest would turn into something more.

After spending time talking with him and knowing more about him, they slowly forgot about Issei. After some time passed he asked if they believed in the supernatural, seeing where the question was going they said yes and after a long talk, they told him they were Devils.

Since he knew about the supernatural he wasn't surprised, and instead he continued treating them like normal girls that weren't related to the supernatural at all, something they really felt thankful for. They wanted to be treated like normal girls not related to the supernatural, and since Reiji was the closest man that wasn't as related to the supernatural as the rest of the men they knew, he was the best choice.

They spent their time; talking about idle topics, going out as friends, among others. The fact that he didn't stare at them in any perverted way, really made them feel at ease. Being always stared and looked like that is really tiring, they liked the expression and reaction they provoked on Issei but after some time, it gets exhausting.

Time went by and they started to forget about Issei, replacing him with him which was their role model of an ideal man when they were kids. Tall, good looking, and confident, the dreams of any young girl.

The reason they tried to get closer to their said senpai was that they didn't understand the male mind. After all, they didn't have many male acquaintances their age.

So they started to get more involved with the males in their College and soon they met him with the excuse that maybe in the future they will able to understand Issei better. Since understanding him would be a key piece for them to get even closer to Issei.

The other girls seeing this asked them, why?

When they heard their answers they were surprised, in their minds this was a good idea. If they are capable of understanding what other men thought of, then understanding Issei will be easier and their relationship will be closer.

But they started to fall in love with the guys they chose to understand. They even dismissed Issei, forgetting everything he did for them. Even being cruel so that he didn't stop their plans. Once their 'relationships' were over they will get even closer to Issei and cross the line!

Yet because of their selfishness and egoism. They truly didn't know how much Issei was suffering. Because of their lack of trust to themselves into getting closer to him and their inexperience in relationships, they made certain choices that unknowingly affected Issei in a terrible way.

Because there were lost in their heads, they started to compare Issei with them.

Seeing his faults like a living being, and soon after they started to bad mouth him behind his back. Scorning him, Insulting him, Ignoring him. Those words were spoken without thinking, yet they 'believed' it was 'just the truth'.

After their inner thoughts appeared, they remained silent for some time but then Rias answered them.

"Sure we'll train you, but it needs to be the next week. We actually are quite busy and need to finish everything before concentrating on the ' _Game_ ' "

They felt happy. There was a way for them to protect themselves, they had to take the chance!

"""""Thank You!""""" - They said again at the same time.

Although recently they had been having some trouble with their relationships with this they could fix it!

Reiji was focusing on his work completely, not wasting a single minute with both Rias and Akeno, and when he had free time he wastes it with his friends. Since they were really spoiled women—and always ordered him to say where he was and with who, sometimes he snapped and yelled at them to stop bothering him, creating friction between them.

Souji was completely focused on sports.

He played Tennis and practiced his Swordsmanship and was rather close to Kiyome Abe. That, alongside him only focusing on his Tennis and Sword practice, made him tight on time. So he set Xenovia aside temporarily and only focused on his 'Sports'.

For her, it seemed that she was replaced by the new advisor of the Tennis club; Kiyome Abe. So sometimes arguments started.

Ryutaro and Irina were good enough. She was really energetic something he liked but... sometimes he just felt tired and just ignored her, causing her to be furious. But because of her energetic self, she was sometimes even jumpier than before and just exhausted him a lot.

The woman just had too much energy sometimes.

Hijama was always in the middle of the fights between Koneko and Ravel, making him feel awkward.

Sometimes he felt as if he was treated as a toy, but he hoped it was just his imagination.

Since he trained with them he wasn't as bad as the others but... sometimes arguments started in their training and escalated into insults and fights, making him feel tired out and annoyed. The thing is that these two women would always fight for something dumb.

Ken and Asia were the second, ' _better_ ' ones. But because Ken was a man of few words and Asia was timid, sometimes they wouldn't speak for hours. Making Asia tear eyed, thinking she was boring and he didn't like when she was with him.

Something he didn't like about her was that she always cried for something, she was kind but she didn't have the courage for anything, at least in his eyes. Like a small animal always waiting to be protected.

So this opportunity for training alongside them would help them with their relationships! Well, they hoped.

From the next week onwards they would try their best, both at becoming stronger and also at improving their relationships.

Issei stood behind the door clearly happy about the information gained. About both the World-Class Rating Game and as well as their future plans.

(Wow! I'm lucky that I leave this Friday.) - Then Issei turned around and walked away like he was never really there.

* * *

 **—-Time Skip / Friday Early in the Morning.—-**

* * *

 **.**

The days went by, after the spying on their little activity, Issei focused more on his training and his knowledge gathering.

He also managed to gain a new ability, using his Darkness and the basis for a magic circle. He named it **'** **Hell Gate'**.

As long as he inserted the coordinates of where he wanted to go or was remembering the location. He could transport himself anywhere he wanted to without no one knowing or noticing.

Using this ability used a lot of his concentration and Aura, so using it during a battle was not plausible.

He also discovered that he could go through Sealing Magic-Arrays that were not fueled by a God-Class or above. He discovered that when he accidentally teleported himself to the ' _First Level of Heaven_ ' thankfully no one noticed.

He could also go through Barriers like then ones on his own house or ' _Separate Spaces_ '.

The Dimensional Gap could also be entered without that much difficulty. It consumed almost ten times as much energy but it was better than nothing.

He tried it once before and he remembered where the Gogmmagog was inside the Dimensional Gap, so he transported himself there. He almost lost his way inside that damn labyrinth of a place, thankfully he quickly activated his **'** **Hell** **Gate'** again and got out of that place.

As long as he gave it a sufficient amount of Aura, in other words—his Magic Power, then he could go anywhere. Of course, only if he knew the exact coordinates or he already visited the place. So they were a few restrictions.

He also finished reading about Hinduism and the Norse. He was so amazed by the stories of the Northern Mythology that he wanted to ask Rossweisse about them, but no news were heard of her.

(A pity. Maybe for the next time...) - Issei thought as he walked out of his house.

Today was the day he needed to pick his clothing back at Late Night Savior, so he was rather excited about how the clothes actually ended up.

He closed the door behind him and walked out of his home.

Seeing the big, rather-round Mall he approached it, afterwards he went up the escalators and towards the right.

Right where the right wing was located at, he walked all the way back. It was 9 AM many stores hadn't even opened yet, but he believed the ' _store_ ' should be open.

Reaching the end he saw the handwritten, neon sign and the single door, he walked towards it and through the door, and soon found himself in front of the woman he talked with during the last time he was here.

The woman noticed him and looked at him, smiling elegantly.

"Welcome back, Mr. Issei!~ Since morning we expected your arrival. So if you want, please follow after me.~" - The woman once again spoke with her sultry and mature voice, making Issei sweat a bit.

(Damn... If I had any less self-control, I would be drooling over her.) - Issei thought as he remembered the last visit to this place.

"Then I will follow you. Thanks a lot for everything till now." - Mixing his sharp voice and warm tone, he made the married women blush slightly.

(Mn!) - She bit her lips. - (I really like when he speaks with that, _tooone._ ~) - She turned around and walked away. Issei took the hint and followed after her.

Reaching the black door once again, he walked through it and up the simple-looking stairs. Soon, he saw the dark-colored wooden door and the woman opening it.

"My Husband is waiting inside. He has the clothes already finished." - Issei walked inwards and once again saw the studio, but this time it looked much more... messy.

Papers were spread all over the floor, making another carpet. He could also see a couple of pens stuck to the wall at his right-hand side, clearly thrown as a sign of frustration.

The dark-blue haired man was sitting without moving on his chair. Eyebags could clearly be seen on his face. His hair was also really messy just like bed hair. His dress shirt was buttoned the wrong way, making one side longer than the other. His eyes were closed but as soon as he heard the door open he opened them.

* _Baam!* -_ Falling down as he tried to stand up he screamed. - "Mr. Issei!"

Picking himself up while grabbing the corner of his desk, the man practically screamed at him. Making the woman behind him giggle at the sight.

"Mr. Genji good to see you. Sorry that such an amount of work was burdened on you with such little time." - Issei spoke to him, a small amount of regret in his voice.

"Nonsense! Don't worry about it. For me, it was a good project! Not any day someone comes in and has a project of that magnitude." - Genji dismissed the subject, he wasn't angered by it.

"~HuHuHu!~ _Darling._ ~ Why don't you show him his clothes? I bet he's eager to now how did they ended up.~" - The woman proposed to her husband, making the man blush a bit. However, he understood what she meant and nodded his head.

"Yes! please follow me to the next room!" - Genji spoke as he walked towards the door and opened it.

"It's just beside us!" - Leaving the room, Issei followed right behind him. The beauty following behind the both of them, a gentle smile clearly stitched on her face.

(Please be Cool! Please be Cool! Please be Cool!) - Issei frantically chanted inside his head, just like a Mantra.

* * *

.

Opening the door, Genji quickly walked in.

A mannequin was at the center of the room, a complete set of clothing was donned on it.

Seeing this Issei opened his eyes wide.

The first thing he noticed was a trench coat reaching past the knees of the mannequin.

It was Oxford grey in color and held no zipper nor buttons. The only thing making it stay in place was a white string that came out of a pair of eyelets at the base of the neck. The string was tied up in a knot at the center of the neck. The rest of the eyelets—used for the buttons, were stitched up and were in a rather opaque red in color. At both sides of the coat, there were pockets making it look useful.

Surprised by the looks of the coat. He next saw the pants and shirt.

He saw a pair of form-fitting inky black pants and shirt. They looked rather simple without any other designs, but he loved how simple they looked. The pants looked tough, and had a rough texture on them contrasting with the rather smooth texture of the shirt. But even with those differences, they looked exactly the same, in color and tone. Like it was a single piece of clothing and not two.

Next were the boots placed on the ' _Legs_ ' of the perfectly realistic full-body mannequin.

They looked comfy and tough like they would last a long time.

They were a dark brown in color, as dark as his hair. They reached just below the knees of the mannequin and if one wanted one could bend the upper part of them to be more comfortable. They had no laces and instead, some opaque red designs were on their place. The designs were just zigzagged lines that came from the top of the boots, ending right at the ankle part of the boots. The sole was an inky black in color.

The whole outfit looked perfectly harmonious. And in the eyes of Issei, which were now like stars, the whole thing looked really good!

(Damn! It looks so fucking awesome! I definitely will look really good with those clothes!) - It was the thought of the young drake as he couldn't take his eyes away of the outfit.

"That, is how the outfit ended up." - Genji spoke up breaking his train of thought, a smile of pride dotted on his face.

"They became much better than I expected." - Genji started his explanation. The beauty quickly made her way to his side, maybe as a sign of support.

"They are made with a new material that it's still is on its experimental phase. Any form of blunt impact will make the clothing instantaneously harden. Whether it's a punch, a gunshot, a stab from a pointy object or even an explosion! The clothing will harden instantly, mitigating the damage."

"They also are water-resistant and heat-resistant, in other words not flammable. I dare say that unless you throw a couple of kilograms of C4 on them, they will still be as good as new! Also, because of the material, they are extremely flexible and elastic so even if you increase in size or height they would still look exactly the same." - Genji caught his breath. At the same time, Issei was extremely satisfied.

(Even if they are broken during my journey. Basic fixing spells I learned during my spare time since the last couple of days will fix them instantaneously!)

In the past couple of days he would sometimes go deeper inside the library, finding an extremely small section of magic spells maybe for his parents not to notice.

They ranged from creating drinkable water, to a small fireball and even a spark of lightning. There was a spell that helped you in understanding other languages and since he no longer was a Devil this would prove useful.

Genji continued his explanation. - "But because of the same material, their weight also increased. The whole thing may be around 15 to 20 kilos. Even though they look light, they certainly aren't!" - Genji finished his explanation, satisfaction filling his face.

This was one of the best outfits he ever created, top 10 without a doubt!

"Darling?~ Let's leave him alone so that he tries his new clothes.~" - The odd-eyed beauty spoke, getting a nod from her husband. They turned around and closed the door.

As soon as they left Issei took his clothes off, which were the same as the last time he came here, and he threw them aside.

A couple of minutes later the door of the room was opened and a dark-brown haired man made its appearance.

The clothing suited him perfectly, in every sense.

His hairstyle accentuated the sharp and cold features of his face. His black and red eyes looked sharp and keen, making him have the appearance of a bad boy, even that of a rogue.

Because during the past days he trained pretty much all the time, so he didn't look as skinny as before. After a couple more weeks less than a month, he would be closer to his former physical appearance!

The married couple looked at him. The clothing suited him perfectly and the style he had was that of a bad boy. Certainly, he will attract many girls.

The couple had different thoughts while Genji only looked at the clothing satisfying his ego, the woman thought differently.

(Damn... He looks _really_ good! Like that, any woman will feel attracted to him. Never would I have expected that he would look that different with the right clothing!) - The woman looked so surprised even her expression changed. A young man like him walking on the streets will gather a lot of attention!

"Thank you for the hard work. I love how the clothes turned out. In the future, I'll definitely come back!" - Issei spoke with a satisfied and happy tone something rare of him to show to others.

He walked closer ignoring the blush of the woman and extended his hand to Genji.

"You did an excellent job, you have my gratitude!" - Issei told him as they completed the handshake.

"The pleasure was mine. Come back again if you have another crazy order like that one!" - Genji smiled.

"HaHaHa! But of course!" - Issei laughed and stopped the handshake.

"I already know the exit so there's no need to accompany me. I need to leave for my trip, I'm rather late." - Issei said as he walked towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" - The woman asked curiously, she tilted her head to the side making her seem extremely cute.

Issei turned back and said. - "My first stop is Kioto. After that... I'm not sure. Anyway, have a good day and let's see each other another time!" - Issei finished answering the question and walked away.

Soon he left the couple's view.

"Why was he in such a hurry? It seemed weird." - The woman asked her husband.

"Mmmm..." - He was thoughtful, he didn't know why but it seemed odd.

"I do not know. Maybe something happened to him in the Town and is forced to leave?" - He stated his theory.

The black-haired beauty only nodded her head, maybe this will remain as a mystery until the end.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Street.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Issei stepped out of the store. Since he didn't want to carry his old clothes he made a Hell Gate while in the store and transferred them back home, after that, he hurriedly left the Mall.

Because it was still early in the morning, not even noon and the students were at the school, not many clients were seen, but the few ones that actually were in the Mall turned to look at Issei.

The older women blushed till their faces were bright red. The married ones were no exception. The men only looked at him with anger, Issei wasn't entirely sure why.

After leaving the Mall and reaching the street, Issei did his best to ignore the looks he received from everyone. Even in the inside of his head, he had no thoughts.

Slowly walking down the street his hand in the pockets of his new trench coat. He quickly saw a big building with the shape of a mansion at the distance.

"Quite easy to find my home." - He said with a slightly happy voice, he was on a great mood.

"Haaaa..." - Ise exhaled as he walked by, everything seemed great. Since the Suicide Attempt he was always against time but now he seemed relaxed, finally some peace for him.

Continuing his walk he stared at the bright, clear blue sky. Closing his eyes he felt the wind breeze against his face.

(Finally... I'm done.) - Ise was satisfied with how things ended up.

He already had everything he needed.

His training was also good and just before coming to the Mall, he finished reading the entire Mythology section of the Library. All of those books in a week! He felt extremely proud. Of course, the many sleepless nights were tough but with a will like his, anything was possible.

Reaching the block his mansion practically owned, he arrived at the gate. And the gate being already open, he just walked inside.

The big, golden main door made its appearance, making Issei laugh in silence.

* _Clinck!* -_ He opened the door with his keys and walked upwards.

Approaching the third floor, Ise momentarily stopped and looked around. A certain feeling of eagerness accompanied him. He stepped closer to his door and opened it up.

His old clothing laid in the bed. Issei stepped closer, grabbed and fold them. Then he put them back into his dresser.

Everything he needed was on him. Since he was going to use his Darkness to make the travels easier no documents were on him.

He left his keys and phone since he didn't want to be traced. He placed both of them inside the pants he wore just before changing his outfit. He then looked around his room.

"Haaaaaaa..." - The longest sigh he ever released came out of his mouth.

Then, near his bedside, he saw a picture of himself alongside his parents when he was younger, when he graduated from middle school.

Looking straight at the picture, he began talking.

"I'll be going on a trip, so don't come looking for me. I do this because I want to be free and see the world." - His voice was melancholic.

"Ddraig is still asleep, it seems it will take a little bit more for him to awaken. But it will be soon, I just know it! After all, he's my Partner!" - During these few days, Ddraig wasn't seen. The brown-haired boy knew it would take a bit more for him to come back.

"I'll come back after a while, so until then please take care."

Ise activated his Demon Mark and although he already was in his Demonic State, he made the mark invisible.

He covered his left hand in Darkness and muttered. - " **'** **Hell Gate'** "

A ring was formed from the Darkness of his hand, soon increasing in diameter and taking the size of a single person. Inside the ring eerie, pitch black mist a black light shown, giving it a demonic vibe.

This was how his **'** **Hell Gate'** manifested.

He already remembered the place he was going at, the Kioto train station. Since his Hell Gate had an aspect of being impossible to sense or notice even if he appeared in the middle of a crowded place, no one will notice him, or at least he hoped.

"Well, its time for me to go. Maybe we'll all see each other later on but who knows." - While shrugging his shoulders, Ise turned around and looked straight into his portal.

Soon he lifted his head up, filled his chest with pride and walked towards it.

Shortly after, he disappeared, like he was never there.

* * *

 **END.**

* * *

 **.**

—-

(Edited. Corrected Grammatical and Punctuation mistakes. Added words and corrected a few ideas. Better than before, for sure!)

(a random Day Around March)

—-

Well that was long, the longest chapter I have ever written. And if my head continues as it is the next chapters will be equal if not longer.

A few notes, many things happened to Issei during the chapter whether during his training or while accomplishing his objectives.

Also, a little explanation on why the girls left him. They as an excuse to get closer to him started to hang out with other boys, but their plan backfired and they started to like them. So in the end they became closer to them with an entiredly different purpose unconsciously. With the excuse of 'getting to know the male mind better' and whatever damage they did, then they will fix it after their relationships ended. That's the idea

I made it as good as I could possibly do it. But finding a good explanation is hard. Ishibumi made it like that. Sorry if it's not what you expected but it proved to be much tougher than I thought, an Apology.

Also the engagement between Rias and Issei.

I, thanks to a couple of you guys, have a few ideas on how to solve it. But for that it will take some time. I want to do it as epic as I can.

Also the rating game. That will be an important subject. I'll make Issei have his own team an participate. It will be fun to write.

And;

I already know who will be with him aside from the Obvious hints I gave. And for other characters, for that to actually work I need to at least spend an entire chapter on their relationships and how they meet,etc. That's for the story to not lose it's value, I think I'll do a good job on it rather fun to write as well.

That's why I said it will be OCish after all their physical apperances are the same but their personalities aren't, so I'm not sure if it's a crossover maybe it is.

Well I don't really care much about that. As long as there are people that enjoy it, then I'm fine with it.

A couple of other references were done in the chapter any time someone sends me one that they figured out I'll put you at the bottom of the next chapter take it as a congratulatory award, maybe if I want in the next chapters I will do so as well. Take it as a little game between you and I.

But well that's all.

—-

Answers:

Freakofnature65: Thanks for the support man it means a lot. I'll do my best to make this story quite good!

Arinst2305: It will be good. Next chapter it will start and slowly I'll make it even better.

Adislt: it goes like this. Kiba because of the work he had burdened onto him by Rias, couldn't contact Issei at all. After all he's doing his own jobs and Issei's, studying and working at the same time it really tough on you even if you're a Devil. So he didn't betrayed Issei. About Gasper, you know how important Valerie is to him and, since she hasn't recovered yet. He spends all the time at the hospital and at school plus his Devil Job, in the Peerage he's number one in Devils contracts, he doesn't even know what Issei went through. Issei doesn't blame them at all, after all he was there when Rias ordered the increase in jobs for Kiba. And to Gasper he knows how the woman, the little one loves is in a coma. So because of that, he's still the same to both.

Gammagyro: I like your proposal. The songs are excellent like both bands but still have doubts about it... but you're starting to convince me, maybe I could do a scene in which... (Whoops thoughts slipped, sorry about that). The canon harem will know but that's later on, they will scorn them that's for sure. But you must remember the women are still not even 19, during that period of life you do stupid shit, a lot of it. So they will pretty much ignore them, except for Kuroka after all Koneko is her sister. About Kunou and Yasaka that is something I won't answer after all it's a spoiler. Serafall... I like her maybe I'll take your suggestions and make some time for both of them.

About the effects, His 'Aura' is the effect they both gave him, after all they gave him his body so instead of the powers in canon he got his 'Darkness' instead.

Really Good ideas! Thanks!

Mir19: After some time, maybe around chapter 7, I'll try to make it earlier but it will be difficult.

Thanks for reading and...

See you Later!


	6. Chapter 5 - The Other Side of the Coin

Chapter 5

(Thoughts)

' _Important_ _Words_ '

"Dialogue" -

 **Attacks, Boosted Gear**

[Good Old Ddraig]

{The Albion}

*Magic Circle Communication. Among Others*

 _"Chanting_!"

* * *

 **The Other Side of the Coin.**

* * *

 **—-2 Months after the War.—-**

* * *

.

Since the end of the war against Rizevim and Qlippoth, Faction affairs became rather... tense.

Well, they were almost exterminated, so one could guess how many troublesome things needed to be done. And because of this, the situation in the entirety of the Underworld wasn't good.

Many revolts occurred, some because of the former influence of the Old Maou Faction while others because of the response of the goverment at the threats they received from Qlippoth.

The second ones were more easily dealt with, but the first ones weren't. That thanks to the influence of the Old Maou Faction which was far more deeply rooted than they thought.

The Yondai Maou had to work the overtime of the overtime to get things done. Some of the problems were solved with a simple press conference while answering the questions of the masses. Questions like; ' _Why didn't you alert the Underworld?_ ' or ' _Why you let a group of Kids resolve the issue?_ ' A few of the questions hurt far more than they thought, but things needed to be done and they had to be done, right.

The more violent revolts in the Underworld were orchestrated by extremists who supported the ideals of the Old Maou Faction. And because of that, a more... _direct_ _approach_ was needed.

Therefore, a response team was created, and that same response team was the Vali Team.

After the war, and thanks to their help during the whole lot of it, their crimes were pardoned and the members of the team became famous celebrities across the supernatural globe.

They were similar to a rogue group which protected the people from the extremists. And at this moment, they were coming back from a mission.

* * *

.

"Ne, Vali. Why are we exactly doing this?" - A monkey Yōkai asked the silver-haired youth.

"Because we have nothing better to do, Bikou." - The silver-haired youth answered with a neutral voice. Ever since the battle against Azi-Dahaka he became more expressive, but many years of talking and acting like that were hard to remove.

"KaKaKa, True! Since we have nothing better to do, and no strong enemy dares to make a move, getting rid of the plagues is the best job we could find!" - The monkey mocked their luck.

The monkey was wearing an Old-Styled Chinese Armor. He held a black Bō almost as tall as himself in his right-hand while twisting and turning it with clear experience in his movements.

The monkey had short black hair and pitch black eyes. His whole body looked fit and ready for combat, but the relaxed posture he held gave him an air of being far too carefree and uncaring.

"Bikou, think about it as training." - A blonde-haired man with royal-blue spectacles replied at the comment of Bikou.

His outfit was an old-style noble-looking grey suit, but not a single wrinkle was present on it. He had deep blue eyes and gave off the aura of a nobleman close to that of a King.

He was tall, standing at 6 foot 3 inches, a little taller than Vali. His whole body looked lean and rather skinny, it seemed to be built mostly, if not all, for speed.

His name was Arthur Pendragon, the descendant of the King of Knights from the tales of the Knights of the Round Table.

"Yeah. But it still doesn't change the fact that we are errand boys, and without the girls here it's more boring." - Bikou stopped spinning his Bō and stabbed it on the ground.

"..…." - The silver-haired youth didn't speak, apparently not concerned by his comment. He was only looking over his shoulder at the scenery behind him.

A castle stood there, it was rather destroyed and appeared to be extremely old and... _not_ _human_.

According to the information given by the current Lucifer, a den of rebels made a base there so they were sent to exterminate them. The look in the eyes of the Lucifer as he gave them their mission was something none of them will ever forget.

After all, the castle was that of the extinct house of ' _Marchosias_ ', an extremely close house to the one of Gremory.

For their castle to be used like a camp for the rebels was the worst insult to the memory of the extinct house. So their orders were to eliminate them all, even if it meant the destruction of the castle itself.

They did their best to not destroy the castle, but some enemies were of Ultimate Class and things got out of hand. However, what surprised them the most was that not only Devils were inside the castle. Fallen, Yōkai and a few mass-produced Evil Dragons were also inside.

So they found out that this place was a base for the remnants of Qlippoth. Soon, they will need to go back and report to the actual Lucifer about their discovery.

"What are you thinking Vali?" - Arthur asked the silver-haired youth, right now he was too quiet.

"Nothing Arthur. Just thinking about the castle back there." - Vali replied while looking at the falling castle.

After the war, as a strategy to demotivate the followers of the Old Maou Faction especially the ones who followed Rizevim, his story, of course with his permission, was published for all to know.

Doing that made him feel like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He had nothing to hide, and if making his story known to the Underworld manage to make more people leave their cause, he was glad to do it. The fewer people that experienced what he did, the better it was.

"So what now Vali? Do we go back?" - Bikou asked their leader, getting a nod from him as the only answer.

(Seems like I really changed a lot from back then...) - Vali thought to himself while turning his head back around and walking away.

(Maybe you influenced me more than I thought, Hyoudou Issei...) - A small smile appeared on his face as his thoughts went to his rival. He was patiently waiting for their rematch, but for that to occur they still needed to train and experience more things.

Reaching the former entrance of the castle, one could see the building at the back.

Although no flames were seen, it seemed something lit it up making it glow with an eerie, red light that was kind of creepy.

The castle was light-purple as his main color with a hint of red, it was tall and imposing but since the location was rather destroyed with huge craters and cuts in the terrain filled with Holy Energy, it looked rather bad as if a war occurred in the place.

Marchosias was depicted as a wolf with griffon wings and a snake tail who was also a strong, undefeated warrior. So the castle, as a sign of that, looked like the ones on the Medieval Era, extremely fortified and with thick, tall walls as well as an unbreachable defence.

Any location inside the gate of the castle was an advantage for the ones inside it, so if one wanted to siege it, it would prove rather difficult. Clearly, they chose this castle because of that. However, in front of these three, the defence didn't work as effectively as they thought.

The Gate was somewhere around the place. When they first entered, Bikou kicked it down. The walls and the nature in the place was all light-purple, following the same colour-scheme as before.

While reaching what they thought was the entrance of the castle, they left just like they came in, through the main gate.

After a couple of minutes, Vali decided to make the magic circle back to the city of ' _Lucifaad_ ', which was where the leaders were located at. But something unexpected happened.

* _Cra-aa-ckk!_ * - The magic circle shattered at the moment it was made.

Seeing that because of the dense energy in the area the circle was basically impossible to do, Vali stopped trying and looked at both of his friends.

"Huh? It seems because of the natural magic particles in the surroundings I cannot make the circle without spending some time. So lets move ahead." - His strength in magic was during battle, not for these tasks.

"If just Le Fay was here, then we wouldn't have this problem!" - Bikou yelled while feeling slight anger at their predicament. Both of the girls were gone from the team and according to Arthur, Le Fay was called back by the Pendragon House. The reason, unknown.

"If only my sister was here..." - Full with regret, Arthur was feeling disappointed.

(Really a sis-con...) - Bikou thought as he half-glared at Arthur.

"By the way Vali. Do you know why Kuroka, of all people, left?" - Bikou turned his head towards his leader, both of his hands were crossed behind his head.

"According to her, she wanted to do something else with her life. To impress my rival and change for the good. After all, her sister already knows the truth, and the man she loves has a rather high position, so to stay by his side, she went to the Leader of the Yōkai and asked for a favor." - Vali explained to Bikou who didn't seem to know.

"And since she's a Nekoshō an almost extinct Yōkai species, she was proposed to be an Ambassador." - Arthur completed his explanation.

Vali nodded, as did Bikou.

"But, wow is the Sekiryuutei lucky. Making Kuroka want to change so that she can stay by his side. I just don't know what to say! And he already has that many beautiful women by his side... I can't help but feel envious as a man!" - Bikou said as a little bit of envy filled his tone.

But soon after The Divine Dividing materialized of Vali's back surprising all three of them, but before Vali could ask the reason behind this, he felt something.

Opening his eyes wide, he abruptly turned around and looked at a plain, patch of land.

"Albion!" - He yelled in shock.

{Yes, Vali! We are not wrong! That much malicious energy and the familiar feeling, I'm afraid it's the Juggernaut Drive!} - A blue light came from the wings after the voice was heard. That being the spirit of Albion after he was sealed.

Arthur's and Bikou's eyes widened, but Vali was the most affected. - (Dammit Issei, what happened?!)

After everything they went through together, you could say the Hakuryuuko felt a brotherly bond with his rival. But before he could do something, Albion screamed in shock.

{It's gone!?} - His words surprised all.

The faces of the three men seemed confused.

"What do you mean that's its gone Albion?!" - Vali was prepared to move towards the direction of the energy, but before he could, he felt the same as Albion.

"...Nothing?"

Both Arthur and Bikou turned and looked at each other. ' _What the hell just happened'_ was written all over their faces.

"Are you sure you sensed right?" - Bikou asked Vali, but it was Albion who answered

{Don't doubt my senses monkey! I could clearly fell Ddraig's energy turning dark! But this time, compared to the past, was much more ominous, even I felt uncomfortable!} - Albion reprimanded the monkey and explained.

Surprised by the words of the White Dragon, they didn't dare say anything.

"What just happened? That energy, it definitely was the one from the Juggernaut Drive, but it felt so much ominous and... horrifying." - Vali regained his bearing and tried to analyze what he and Albion just felt.

{Don't doubt Vali. We were definitely right, but it was gone far too quick for anyone other than us to notice it! It seemed the chant was stopped and the activation of the Drive as well.} - Albion told his Partner, filling the pieces of the puzzle.

"So what should we do?" - Arthur asked his leader, waiting for orders.

"I do not know. But saying that we felt the energy from Juggernaut Drive would make us sound crazy and make them not believe us. I doubt that with all the things they are doing and with no evidence to prove what we felt they would do something about it." - Vali turned back to his emotionless tone of voice and explained the situation.

Everyone went silent for a moment, but before long they left in search of an area in which they could use the magic circle.

Walking around no one said anything, especially Vali. But unknown to both of them he was having a mental conversation with Albion.

(What do you think Albion?) - Vali asked the Dragon inside his head.

{I do not know Vali, but we can't be wrong. However, what exactly happened for them to use the Juggernaut Drive?} - Hearing the response of the Dragon he fell into thought.

(What if they didn't activate it in search of strength, but rather because of strong, negative emotions?) - Albion went silent, that possibility was certainly plausible.

{With Hyoudou Issei as Ddraig's host that could definitely be possible, but...} - Albion was unsure.

(But what Albion?) - He told his question to his friend and Partner.

{That still wouldn't explain the feeling of rage we felt. It was far too big and evil for just the Juggernaut to be the cause.} - Albion was even more confused than before.

(What if...) - Vali tried to speak, but he dispersed the thought out of his head.

{Vali?} - Albion was worried about his Partner, clearly just thought about something but didn't want to say it.

(What if Issei experimented something that affected him too much? To the point that the Juggernaut activated by itself. The various feelings he should have experienced influenced the Juggernaut and increased the sensation of despair exponentially. That would explain the ominous energy we felt.) - Vali told him his theory, hearing this Albion went silent.

(But the question remains, what was the cause?)

Ending the conversation there, they reached a forest away from the Marchosias territory. Vali made the transportation circle, this time sturdier than before.

Soon, they all stepped inside the circle and left in a flash of blue of light.

* * *

.

Arriving at one of the Capitals of the Underworld, the three appeared on an empty street. The difference between this city and the ones in the human world was only the purple sky. Aside from that, one couldn't identify anything else between them.

Street lights were at all over the place, and the roads used by cars or whatever magical vehicle they had were completely empty.

Soon, they saw a big castle at the end of the street. The difference form the one in the Marchosias territory was that this one looked like the Capitol back in the USA.

That was the base of operations of the current Maou and for now, the place they spent most, if not all of their time.

Closing in, the three walked calmly, it wasn't the first time they had done it, but Vali was still stuck with the same thoughts. The theory he proposed made him and Albion silent. They tried to find something to go against it, but they couldn't.

Making the decision, Albion finally talked. - {Vali, I'm afraid, that should be our answer...} - His tone was deadly serious, forcing the current Hakuryuuko to only nod his head.

Climbing up the stairs of the Capitol Castle they reached the entrance. A huge and thick wooden door covered their view, from top to bottom the door filled their sights.

Aside from the door, everything else was made out of ' _Caloric_ _Stone_ '. A mineral that is found only in the Underworld near active volcanic areas, having extremely-high resistance against explosions and heat. It was rather rare and expensive but after all the destruction from the former War, a worthy investment.

The color of the rock was pure white, without a single blemish. In the eyes of the current Hakuryuuko, it hurt the eye just to look at it.

* _Creeeakk!*_

Opening the door, they saw a huge, round empty hall with staircases at both sides. In front, laid a hallway that lead to the conference hall, only used during important occasions or reunions.

They walked towards their right-hand side and up the stairs. On the right wing of the building were the rooms of the current Maous and their Peerages. On the left side, there were the room of the nobles that held a lot of political influence. And at the end of both of them, right where they joined up, laid the private room for the ' _Bael_ '.

"Tch!" - Taking a look at the Bael's private room Vali sneered, he wasn't exactly a fan of them.

Then he looked back at the first door he saw when he climbed up the stairs. That was the door that lead to the current Lucifer, and right now it was the location where he basically sleeps at.

Without knocking and just opening the door, Vali walked inwards.

The room was extremely big and filled with the majority of Sirzechs' Peerage. Everyone had a desk for their own work, some filled with paperwork while others were completely empty.

The room was big enough to put any conference room back in the human world to shame. The high ceiling and the chandeliers that hung from it made it look refined and high-class. And like the facade of the building, everything was pure white in color except for the desks that were black and the carpet that was red. They were eight desks in total, numbering for the entirety of Sirzechs' Peerage.

At the furthest ends of the room one could see an extremely big desk that covered most of the room horizontally.

A man was sitting behind it. He was busily checking papers and signing documents while giving orders to his Peerage. Some only nodded and left the room, opting to ignore the group of three since since they had better things to do.

After the majority of the Peerage left, only the red-haired man wearing luxurious clothing and a beautiful maid with silver-grey hair were left inside.

"Current Lucifer, we came to tell you that the mission is completed!" - Vali spoke with pride in his voice.

The man titled as Lucifer turned around and for a brief moment, relief filled his eyes, but it soon was replaced with no emotion whatsoever.

"Excellent job. I already have your next mission, this one is at Grigori. It seems something is going to happen and Azazel needs you to be there for whatever reason he may have."

Vali was debating whether to tell him what they felt or not.

{Do it Vali. We lose nothing.} - Albion gave him the push he needed.

"I also have to report that I felt the energy of the Juggernaut Drive of Hyoudou Issei during the mission. Maybe you should check how he's doing." - At the mention of this, both; the man and the woman widened their eyes and stopped their work.

"" _Are you sure?_ "" - They asked at the same time with the exact same words.

"Of course, I wouldn't mistake something like that!" - Vali almost roared at them.

"Then why didn't any one of us felt it?" - Sirzechs asked with a cold voice.

"Because as soon as I felt it, it was gone." - Not intimidated in the least, Vali answered his question.

"".….."" - Both of them went silent, but the woman, seeing the look of her husband's face, said. - "Do not worry about it. We'll look into it."

({She's lying.}) - Both, Albion and Vali spoke inside their minds at the same time, but outwards Vali only nodded.

"I almost forgot. The castle wasn't used by the rebels, it was used by Qlippoth members. I know since we fought against some Evil Dragons and other species aside from Devils."

Vali told them while turning around, ready to leave. He didn't like how both of them dismissed his comment about Issei, but no one felt the aura they sensed, so there was nothing he could do. Also, they were really busy with all the things that had happened so an investigation was a difficult thing to do.

"Good, now prepare for your next mission. Azazel wants you there as soon as possible." - Sirzechs ordered the three men.

Walking through the main door, the three of them left.

Sensing them leaving the building the Maou asked his wife with concern in his tone. - "Grayfia... Do you believe what he said about Ise-kun?" - Worry clearly visible in his voice.

"I have my doubts." - She spoke with her emotionless tone of voice, but her eyes narrowed at the question.

"If something that bad happened then we should have felt it. Also, either Michael or Azazel would have contacted us, either because something really did happen in Kuoh, because of the malicious energy the Drive emits or because of the scene of destruction it should have happened." - The maid analyzed the many different scenarios.

"..…." - The Maou wasn't entirely sure, he felt something was off with this.

The maid, seeing this, changed her expression and closed in on him.

Reaching closer to his face, she grabbed his cheek with one hand while with the other she grabbed his hand. Looking into his eyes she talked with a comforting voice.

"Sirzechs, trust me. There's no way for Issei to have activated that. What reason would he have? He's already far stronger without it, and unless something happened to him, which I doubt since Rias and the rest are looking after him, then there's nothing to worry about. Whatever she needed in regards to Issei she would have contacted you since your magic circle is secured just in case of anything, and she's one of the few that can contact you during this time." - Grayfia comforted him, just like a sweet wife would.

He seemed better, but in the corner of his mind, the thought still annoyed him.

"Don't worry, in little more than a Month everything will be solved. At that time if you still feel unsure, we can go visit him! I bet he would like it." - Grayfia continued her soothing, making the Maou feel better.

"You're right Grayfia, there's nothing wrong happening. Everything is as good as it can be!" - The Maou spoke with a smile on his face. Not knowing how a certain brown-haired boy was screaming in grief.

* * *

.

Vali and his team left the Maou's office. But he felt something terrible occurred, something did happen and he knew it! Although the rest didn't believe him, he just knew!

(Well, there's nothing that I can do. Like always, he will find a way to solve his problem, he always manages to do that and amaze us at the same time.) - Vali dismissed the thought inside of his head, nothing will come from worrying over it.

Albion was the same. Although he felt like something really did happen, since no news came then it shouldn't be anything bad. But by some way or another, that thought kept making him feel uncomfortable.

{Vali, maybe we should tell Azazel. He should know if something happened.} - Still anxious, Albion proposed. Vali felt the same, he just wanted everyone to know, just in case of something.

(You're right Albion, I'll tell him.) - Vali made his mind as he walked down the stairs with his team.

Opening once again the enormous wooden door, they stepped out and walked down the main stairs of the building.

"Vali, are we going to see the Former Governor?" - Arthur asked, he did have a point. Their new mission was already explained to them, so right now they should go and complete it.

"Yes Arthur, I believe this mission will be the last they give us for quite some time. After that, we can go train or do whatever we want." - Vali answered the question of his friend.

After reaching the bottom of the stairs he activated the transportation circle, this time to Grigori.

A flash of white light enveloped them and they were gone from the Capitol.

* * *

.

The blue light stopped shinning and they opened their eyes. They saw nothing but rocky plains and big boulders everywhere, the land here was blood red in color.

"Damn! That's why I hate coming to Grigori, they always choose the most creepy of locations!" - Bikou was almost screaming. The location they were at was the closest one could arrive to Grigori without the permission of a Cadre.

The plains were filled with nothing but red rocks, mountains in the shape of peaks could be seen on the horizon. A large white moon stood behind the peaks giving them a creepy vibe and on one of those peaks laid the Main Grigori base, or rather their research institute.

"Haaa... Reaching all the way to the top of the peaks is always a pain in the ass." - Bikou was once again displeased.

"True, it's rather troublesome." - The comment of Arthur soon made the monkey happy, at least someone agreed with him.

They continued their journey, they slowly walked closer to the five tallest peaks within all of the mountain range.

The boulders at either side of them were shaped in odd forms. Some with the shape of leafless trees while others in the form of thick tree trunks. All of those tree trunks were close together, forming a small, dark, tree-trunk "forest".

While walking closer to the mountains, the rocks started to increase in size reaching the heights of small hills and even bigger. Yet nothing but lifeless red land shining in a white light could be seen.

After less than an hour spent walking, they reached the base of the mountain range.

Five different paths were carved on the rock floor underneath them. Some were making twists and turns like snakes, while others just reached upwards in a straight line.

"Vali, which path was it again?" - Bikou was worried about the path they should take. Although they came here quite frequently, most of the times they came was directly into any of their bases, few were the times they took the normal path.

"The second from the right, Bikou. I thought you already knew?" - Arthur answered instead of Vali, getting a nod from the silver-haired youth.

"Well, most times we go directly into any of their bases. Not many times do we come here the normal way." - Bikou tried to find an excuse which wasn't a lie.

"True, you should give him the reason Arthur." - Vali replied with a small smirk at the corner of his lips. He was trying to be more friendly, at least to those close to him.

"Maybe you're right Vali." - Arthur agreed.

Hearing this, the descendant of Sun Wukong was shocked! His jaw hitting the floor but as soon as he tried to say something else both of them interrupted him. - ""Don't let it get to your head!""

His former happy face froze, the only thing moving was his left-eyebrow which was twitching.

"You two sometimes get along far too well..." - Bikou sighed in defeat. If both of them said those words then there was not a thing he could do.

Seeing the defeated look in Bikou's face made the two men smile slightly, even Albion inside the Divine Dividing was smirking.

After their little conversation, they walked upwards right on the path Arthur said. Compared to the others, this one wasn't as tricky to walk on, much of the road was just a straight line.

After 20 minutes, they reached the peak of the mountain.

At the very top, one could see a massive black building covering the majority of the light from the moon.

"Now that I think about it..." - Vali just noticed something different in this place, but it was Albion who completed his frase. He spoke out loud for all of them to hear.

{The Moon is new.} - He noticed the change in the territory.

Both Bikou and Arthur went stiff, they didn't notice the creation of the new moon! Since they were always in the Human World or the Underworld from the Devils side, they grew accustomed to seeing the sun and moon.

"Of course, there was no Moon before." - Arthur made the comment with a calm voice, realizing the change.

"They even managed to build a fucking Moon!?" - Bikou only screamed, his loud voice echoed all over the place.

"How much free time does one need to build a Moon?!" - He couldn't believe it, they actually built a goddamed moon!

"This should be the work and project of ' _Sahariel_ ', he's known for representing the Moon while he was still in the Heavens. Even now he still holds dominion over the moon." - Vali explained the reason for the moon. He lived in Grigori for a couple of years, so he knew quite the information about them.

Trying to ignore the moon they moved their sights onto the tower in front of them. It was a colossal building that covered the entire mountain cliff, firmly rooted in place. It was pitch black in color contrasting with the red land.

At their current location, a hefty metal gate was firmly nailed onto the ground. However, the gate was left open, perhaps they were expecting them?

After crossing the steel gate they got a much clearer vision of the building.

It was hundreds of meters in height, and as high as the eye could see. It could definitely compete with several famous skyscrapers back on Earth and defeat them.

Windows were symmetrically placed at the front part of the building, covering almost all of the building's facade.

At the base floor, where they were now, there was nothing except an extravagant, blood-coloured door with a yellow frame on its edges and a sign that read, Grigori on the utmost part of it.

Some black granite pillars stood around them, giving the entrance, and the building itself, an indestructible feeling, as if the tower wouldn't fall no matter what.

The three of them walked near the main door, and as they expected, the door was magically opened.

{They were expecting us Vali.} - Albion mentally said to his Partner. Vali only nodded his head as he crossed the door.

Right now they stood in what some will call a lobby, a really luxurious lobby. A desk was placed right at the center of the room and was the only piece of furniture present. Behind it, a woman was standing with a graceful smile on her lips.

Without stopping their walk, they reached the desk and Vali asked the woman behind it. - "We came here because Azazel called us."

The woman at the reception desk nodded her head and replied with a flirty voice.

"Yes, he was expecting you!~ Please, follow me." - She told him while winking and leaving the desk, swaying her hips sexily as she walked in front of them. Bikou was the only one that stared, couldn't be blamed, he was a man after all.

Reaching an elevator, the woman with black hair, three pairs of wings and dressed in a business suit, pushed the button. The door of the elevator opened up and the four of them went inside it.

Many buttons that reached the ceiling were placed at the right-hand side of the inside of the elevator, they were divided from one to three digits. It seemed this building was taller than what they thought.

She then pushed the button labelled as ' _eighty_ - _six_ '. After that, the elevator went up.

Opening the door of the elevator one could see the hallway, yet for some weird reason, only two things could be seen.

One was a black metallic door that was at the bottom of the hallway. The other was the words ' _AE_ ' embedded inside a wooden framework at the right side of the wall, they covered the entirety of the wall.

"Ehh... excuse me, but what are those words for?" - Bikou asked the woman leading them, she turned around and looked at Bikou.

"About that..." - She placed a finger on her chin while tilting her head. - "Azazel-sama said that those words needed to go accompanied by the floor number. It seemed that they remembered him about, a car?"

Bikou was surprised, he clearly knew why he did it!

(How much of a kid you need to be!) - Bikou screamed inside his head as he remembered about a certain show he watched some time ago.

He hummed a tune while walking side by side with the others.

After some brief seconds they reached the door and the woman at their side knocked on it. - * _Knock! Knock! Knock!* -_ And left, she just walked back to the elevator.

Steps were heard inside the room and after some time a rather familiar face appeared.

An old man around his forties opened the door, he had black hair with golden bangs and a rogue-looking face. He wore a loose, black yukata and had a tired expression on his face.

"Oh! So it's you guys. Just in time, the rest already arrived!" - The former governor invited them in with a goofy smile on his face.

They looked at each other with suspicion in their eyes, but they only shrugged their shoulders and walked inside.

The inside of the room was that of a luxurious department, but many different blueprints and papers were scattered across the floor. A door at their left was slightly open revealing a modern looking laboratory. This seemed to be Azazel's personal space and laboratory inside Grigori.

"HaHaHa! You all will like what I'm about to tell you! But first, you need to see the others." - Azazel said with a smile, his tone made Vali suspicious but he decided to ignore it.

They walked at the furthest part of the messy department and opened a door, the Fallen was right behind them.

As soon as Vali entered the room he wanted to run away as fast as he could.

Amongst the people inside the room, there was a certain woman, in which the moment she saw Vali her eyes shined with a weird light.

{You're Fucked.} - Albion told his host.

The woman practically flew from the couch right towards him.

"Vaaa-Kunnnn!" - She screamed, Vali could only speak certain words before she crashed against him. - "Laviniaaaa!"

The woman named Lavinia had long, flowing blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. She appeared to wear standard Magician robes with a hood, but she was definitely a beauty in the whole sense of the word.

She kept hugging Vali with every ounce of force she could muster, pressing her obvious assets onto his chest and making him gain a very small blush on his cheeks.

This young woman was the current possessor of the Longinus, Absolute Demise, also known as Eternal Ice Princess. She was also an excellent magician, part of ' _Grauzauberer_ ' a magical organization founded by Mephistopheles.

The woman didn't speak any more words, instead, she increased the strength behind her hug, Vali sensed that and blushed. She was the only woman capable of making him feel _different,_ and ever since his last battle with the Diabolism Thousand Dragon her image, in his head, changed. However, he didn't want her to know that.

While giving up, he let the woman hug him without fighting back.

Lavinia was more than happy, her ' _Va-Kun_ ' was letting her hug him by his own free will!

While leaving these two behind, the people inside the room were just smiling at the scene.

Amongst them were three Cadres aside from Azazel. They were two men and a woman.

The first man was extremely tall, he had the appearance of a middle-aged, gruff-looking man with black hair, matching beard and a muscular body. He was wearing a warrior-like uniform, being form-fitting and on its majority black with a few dark green parts here and there.

He was the current Vice-Governor of Grigori, Baraqiel.

The second one had the appearance of a handsome man in his twenties with silver-white hair and purple eyes. He wore a gaudy purple tunic with silver pants and black dress shoes.

He was the current Governor of Grigori, Shemhazai.

And last, but certainly not the least, was the woman. She was incredibly beautiful, even with her stoic and cold attitude.

She had blue eyes that looked strong and unwavering, long purple hair reaching her hips and a pair of bountiful breasts. She wore a long, indigo-colored, formal dress that reached her ankles, with a slit open at the sides of her right leg making her look even more seductive and mature. She wore red lipstick that accentuated her lips and black needle-like high heels.

She was sitting with one leg covering the other, showing off her sex appeal. And she was the strongest and most beautiful woman in Grigori, Penemue!

Looking onto another side of the room was a young man that didn't pass from his early twenties.

He had black hair that looked cleanly cut and light grey eyes. He wore a black trenchcoat that reached his ankles, a reinforced grey vest in color with protectors on his chest, and long grey military-like pants that had knee protectors. As a finishing touch, he wore military black boots which were covered by the pants.

His name was Ikuse Tobio also known as Slash Dog. The current possessor of the Longinus, Canis Lykaon the Inugami of the Black Blade.

At the left side of Tobio laid a black, wolf-like dog with red eyes. It had the size of a large dog and was peacefully sitting near him. The dog was Jin and was the Sacred Gear of Tobio, an Independent-Type One.

While getting Lavinia off of him, Vali asked the Fallen. - "Well Azazel, what do you want with all of us?"

The Fallen only smiled and stood in front of all of them, including the Cadres.

"It seems that because of recent events some Gods had suggested the idea of a World-Class Rating-Game. The idea was proposed during the last meeting and approved by all Factions involved. So in a few words, we would soon have a World-Class Rating-Game in which Gods will participate!" - Azazel let the bomb drop.

Every Cadre went wide-eyed, they couldn't believe what they heard!

The young ones were much better.

Lavinia only had a hand covering her mouth, Tobio was smiling while shaking his head saying it will be troublesome and Vali had the biggest smile ever. A battle hungry grin adorned his entire face, even a weird light was in his eyes. Bikou and Arthur were practically the same, one more surprised than the other.

"The idea is still in its experimental state and only when all Factions agree, will the announcement be done publicly. I tell you this because I believe that it will certainly occur!" - Azazel told them with a grin on his face, like a mischievous kid.

"Then when will it start? And how will it be conformed?" - Tobio asked with a calm voice, interested in the subject of the talk.

"About that... We're not entirely sure, but I would say at most it will start in half a year! About how it will be conformed, I'm afraid only Ajuka would know. But my guess would be that you will register the participants according to the pieces of chess. Much similar to an actual Rating Game."

Azazel thought that the simpler the terms for the game the better it was. That way more participants will gather and the better it would be!

"The rest of the information is still unknown, after all, it's still just an idea." - Azazel sighed, clearly not agreeing at the lack of information on his part.

Soon the surprise was gone and only excitement could be seen in the eyes of the young ones.

Among the Cadres, only Baraqiel seemed interested.

"That's the reason why I called you all here." - He finished explaining his motives.

Azazel practically fell onto his comfy, leather couch. Grabbing the whiskey he had in the table at his side, he took a sip.

"Well Former-Governor, I need to leave." - She bowed politely while lifting the ends of her robe. - "After all, there are still things I need to do!" - Lavinia spoke with a joking tone. Before leaving, she hugged Vali once again and finally left in a blue magic circle.

"Azazel-san, I also need to leave. If what you said is true then it seems that I need to gather the old team back." - Tobio told his Boss as he stood from the couch alongside Jin, he then vanished inside a shadow.

"Azazel, I need to get back to work. Because different from you, I actually have to work!" - Shemhazai said as he reached the door of the room, opening it and leaving.

"It seems I need to train... See you later Azazel." - Baraqiel said his goodbyes as he disappeared in a flash of lightning.

"Haaa... It seems more paperwork is going to be needed..." - With a tragic sigh Penemue stood up from the couch, a hand was on her head, maybe trying to mitigate the headache she had. Without saying goodbye she walked out the door and left.

Azazel still was sitting on his couch, drinking his whiskey. He then looked at the three young men in front of him.

"What will you do?" - Intrigued about what would they do, Azazel asked while stirring his whiskey with one hand.

"Search for more teammates and train." - Vali answered instantly and turned at his friends.

"For now we need to get stronger, so we should start training. Bikou you should go to Mount Huaguo maybe we can find and convince the rest of _them_." - Bikou nodded his head, he was mentally preparing himself for what was coming.

"Arthur go back to the House of Pendragon. We will need Le Fay for this." - Vali ordered Arthur. His only response was a light in the glasses of the young man. Going to see his little sister excited him.

"I'll stay here at Grigori to train for a while. After that, I'll contact you."

Without wasting time both of them headed outside, already leaving to finish their missions.

{Vali let's not forget about Ddraig.} - Albion remembered Vali, he widened his eyes and visibly nodded.

"Azazel during my last mission I felt the energy of the Juggernaut Drive of Hyoudou Issei. I believe you should investigate a little."

Azazel was so surprised that he almost spat his Whiskey, but he quickly calmed down. Many logical reasons of why it didn't happen came to his mind.

"Vali... That's impossible, the energy would be felt by us. Plus vigilance is in Kuoh 24/7, plus Issei is with his girls. Even if something occurred, they would contact us immediately, Akeno to Baraqiel and Rias to her brother. There is a lot of security in the area so you shouldn't worry." - Azazel explained his reasons why it was impossible for something like that to happen.

(That much malicious energy and emotions, even if we are all the way here we would have felt it!) - He thought.

(The Girls would have contacted any of us of all Three Biblical Factions. Even in the worst case scenario, the news of the destruction of the Town would have arrived hours ago. Plus, what would make Issei want to activate it? He already surpassed that form some time ago. The girls and his friends are taking care of him, so it's impossible for something like that to happen.) - Azazel was deep in thought. He then noticed how the silver-haired boy was gone, he left in the middle of his thoughts.

"Haaaa... Why did all the work accumulated? There's so much of it I can't even focus on my projects! Even my own magic circle is completely blocked from me..." - Azazel said as he downed his whiskey, but soon remembered something.

"HaHaHaHa! If someone did call I wonder what would the think about my voicemail? HaHaHaHa!" - Azazel laughed it of, not noticing how later on his predictions about Issei would be terribly wrong.

* * *

 **—-Time Skip / 1 Month Later / The day Issei did the ritual.—-**

* * *

 **.**

The days went by and soon another Month ended.

The different work all Factions had was still was piling, but this time in less amount.

Today however, was the day of the meeting with a certain Faction and all the leaders of the Alliance will be here. Of course, without bodyguards since they didn't need them.

The reunion will be held in the Underworld in the Capital City of Lucifaad, inside a special room which was inside the Capitol Castle. All Pantheons will be gathered there.

Hereby, this reunion was a top secret among top secrets. After all, an isolated Faction will finally come back to the world!

It seemed that after the fight against the beast they no longer wished for seclusion and quickly sought for a treaty with the rest of Factions, proposing their union onto the alliance.

The almost Apocalypse caused the Celtic Pantheon to change.

Inside the huge, pure white building that held no blemishes nor black spots. Inside the Hall—used only for extremely important meetings, a few people were already there, even if it was still not the time for the meeting.

The location was an enormous, round room with torches and chandeliers on the walls and ceiling respectively. A squared, bulky, ebony-colored granite table was firmly rooted on the ground right at the center of the room while black chairs of the same material surrounded the table.

On the side closer to the main door were four chairs that already had people seated on them. The current Four Maous were sitting exactly there.

At the dead center was Sirzechs Lucifer and at his right-hand side was a man close in age to him.

He was a bewitchingly beautiful and attractive young man appearing to be in his mid-twenties, with light blue eyes and green hair that was slicked back. He had a mysterious aura around him denoting power and secrecy.

He was Ajuka Beelzebub, current Beelzebub and head of the ' _Department of Technology'_ of the Underworld, and right now he was calmly talking to Sirzechs.

"So after this we should finally catch a break, huh. Sirzechs."

The mentioned one only nodded his head in exhaustion. Too much work for the past couple of Months almost made him lose his sanity.

Soon, he spoke with an extremely tired voice. - "Maybe at the end of this week we can finally relax. Too much stuff has happened and as the leaders we needed to clean the mess up. Haaa..." - Sirzechs was hoping for the end of the week to already come.

(Please, almighty Friday just be here already.) - His thoughts would make anyone have a drop of sweat on the back of their heads.

"I hope so." - Crossing his arms and nodding his head, Ajuka agreed with him. - "After all, anything needed for the World Class-Rating-Game should be done as soon as possible and rumours have already spread about the game." - Ajuka furrowed his brows at the mention of the Game. He was excited but many things still needed to be done.

"You have always been here in the Capitol, right? Not once have you returned, aren't you worried something might have happened?" - Sirzechs asked his best friend.

"Not at all. I have my subordinates stationed at my laboratory." - He swatted his hand, dismissing his words. - "Even the calls directed at my person will be answered there. So any problem should already be solved and if it was bad, then they should tell me after finishing all the work I have left. I specifically told them not to bother me, it doesn't matter what happened."

Ajuka explained why he was remaining so calm. Well, he had capable subordinates.

Sirzechs then remembered something that made him rather uncomfortable. - "Haaaa..." - He sighed, the words that were spoken by the Hakuryuuko still tugged on his mind.

"Something wrong?" - Asked Ajuka.

"Nothing, just the words of Vali. A Month ago he claimed to have felt the aura of the Juggernaut Drive of Issei."

The man widened his eyes in slight surprise. - "But that—"

"Yeah. Yeah. I know, it's impossible to happen, but it still annoys me."

Ajuka was anxious about his friend, maybe he was too paranoid?

After their conversation the woman at their left spoke up, she clearly heard their talk.

"Sirzechs-chan! There's no need to worry. Rias-chan and the others are there so there shouldn't be anything to worry about!" - Her voice was bubbly and full of energy.

She was a beautiful girl appearing to be in her late teens with black hair that flowed down her back and blue eyes. She also had a child-like body, albeit with large breasts. She wore a green business suit but it did not hide her figure, her personality was childlike but it was really nice having her around.

Her name was Serafall, current Leviathan and ' _Head of Foreign Affairs._ '

"Everyone in the city is safe, plus it's constantly being watched in case of anything!~ So don't worry, it will make you look far older than you are!~" - The woman... comforted? the red-haired.

Clearly relaxing at the words of his friend, he smiled at her.

"True, you are right Serafall." - Finally letting this matter rest.

" ZzzzzzZzzZ" - The sound of someone snoring could be heard at the right of the Maous.

A bald-headed man was peacefully sleeping on the ridiculously uncomfortable chair. He had a black-coloured goatee and was wearing purple clothes, similar to those of Sirzechs.

He was Falbium, current Asmodeus as well as the _'Head of Military Affairs.'_ The man that only got a Peerage so that he could sleep without trouble for the entire day. He, as always, was peacefully sleeping, nothing disturbing his dreams.

While the chat between the rest of the Maou kept going, a magic circle appeared on the ground of the Hall. Everyone stopped what they were doing, even the current Asmodeus woke up.

The magic circle was light green in color, it had a pair of wings on the four sides of the circle. At the center of it, it was completely empty.

As soon as they saw the circle the Maou immediately relaxed.

A brief flash of light appeared and a well-known voice came soon after.

"Yo guys! How's life treating you?" - A man with black hair and golden bangs made his appearance. He wore a regular black suit and he didn't have a tie, leaving the last button of his white shirt open.

"Azazel. Well, I cannot complain about it, but we all are tired." - Sirzechs answered the question of Azazel.

"Yeah... Things on our side are also pretty hectict so you could say that I understand you." - Azazel had a tired face, it seems that things were really bad on their side as well.

"Azazel, just sit. Anyone could come at any moment, and talking about how tired you are will give a bad impression!"

A man with white hair annoyingly looked at the Fallen. He was handsome and he was wearing a complete silver suit with a white dress shirt and a pitch black tie. He was Shemhazai actual Governor of Grigori.

"Sheesh Shemhazai, at least relax sometimes. If you continue like that I'm afraid you will get grey hair ahead of time!"

Shemhazai felt a blood vessel pop on his face, angered by the answer of Azazel.

"Now, Now, Azazel lets sit down. You know Shemhazai is right." - The other man that appeared with them from the circle spoke to Azazel while placing a hand on his shoulder.

The man was the only one wearing his usual training clothing, black with a tinge of green. He was Baraqiel, the Lightning of God and current Vice-Governor of Grigori.

"Fine. Fine. I'll do it, I understand." - Azazel accepted the proposal of Baraqiel and walked with them at one side of the table. There, three chairs could be seen at the left of the current Asmodeus.

"We'll talk later guys!" - While waving his hand, he walked with the other two and sat down at the left of Shemhazai.

Not much time passed after Shemhazai scolded Azazel for being too carefree. Baraqiel only had a smile on his face while seeing this the scene, he remembered past times.

"He is far too carefree, don't you think so? Sirzechs-chan!~" - The Leviathan spoke to Sirzechs while whispering into his ear.

"Hello Pot I'm Kettle, has anyone told you how black you are?" - Sirzechs made a joke at the comment of his friend. Only gaining an adorable pout from her and a punch on the shoulder.

Ajuka, at the side, was doing his best effort not to giggle.

"Hmph! Why are you so cruel!~" - The young woman scolded to him, angered by the comment he just did. The pout was still visible on her face making her look adorable.

Asmodeus went back to sleep. How could he do it so fast, was a mystery.

"Sorry. Sorry, Serafall, I couldn't help it." - With a tense smile he tried to calm the Maou down.

Not wanting to giggle even more, Ajuka turned his face away from the comical scene.

Not long after another magic circle made its appearance, this time on the complete opposite side of the table. An uncomfortable energy for the Devils spread around the entirety of the Hall.

The circle was white in color, it was reminiscent of an Angels wings and was glowing in yellow light and giving off magic particles of the same color.

Its shape was similar to the ones of the Fallen, but it had many angelic symbols spinning in the outermost layer of the circle.

The meaning those symbols made, kept changing. From Love to Hope, and from Hope to Strength. The language was Enochian, a language written in the diary of _'John Dee'_ used for magical practice.

From the light the circle gave off, two figures made their appearance. A man and a woman, both of them wearing pure white clothes.

The man was wearing pauldrons on his shoulders in a bright gold color and a red contrast. He had a golden halo and twelve golden wings sprouted from his back, stating his rank as a Seraph.

He had the appearance of a handsome-looking man with long blond hair and green eyes. His name was Michael, the leader of the Four Great Seraphs and a ' _Throne of Heaven.'_

"Its good to see you again everyone." - With a kind smile, Michael spoke to the rest of the people inside the room. He then hid his wings and walked close to the table, where two chairs were specifically left for both of them.

He walked closer and sat on it, then turned around and talked to the woman that was here with him.

"Gabriel, please stop looking around and sit. We don't know when someone might arrive." - Michael spoke to the now named Gabriel, who blushed because of shame at the words of her brother.

"Yes, Michael-Nii-sama." - She smiled and walked closer to his side.

Unknowingly all the men, even Falbium, were looking at her. Not for nothing was she titled; ' _The Most Beautiful Woman of Heaven.'_

She had a beauty that could topple down empires, and just for a single smile from her, a war could be ignited!

She had curly blonde hair and a voluptuous figure above that of Penemue and Serafall. Her beauty, as well, was on another level completely. She even wore a long white dress that hugged her figure and reached her ankles. Some golden hints could be seen in the dress if one looked closely enough.

"Michael, I'm glad you're here. I thought that since Heaven is extremely occupied ever since the battle against Qlippoth, you wouldn't come. After all, most of your territory was destroyed and you had many casualties." - Sirzechs spoke to Michael, which in turn, looked at him and with a gentle smile he replied.

"Unfortunately, many different things have happened. For Heaven to be completely repaired it will take more time, but for now the most important things should be done. This meeting being the last one." - Michael said with a relaxed smile, happy that after all that happened peace was finally on sight.

"True. After this meeting, pretty much everyone has already done all important business they have left. Maybe some other things are left, but by Friday everything will already be gone! At least I hope." - Azazel spoke while resting both of his feet on the table, satisfied that everything will soon be over.

"True, Azazel-san! Just small things related to the System and the Church are left on our side." - Gabriel, with a bright smile, continued the conversation.

"But after all of this we still have the Game to prepare. That, will be a hit! My boys back at Grigori are already training." - Azazel lifted his feet off the table and proudly smirked.

"True, even my sister is preparing, just recently I told her. Of course, I did not give her much information." - Sirzechs commented, a small blush adorned his face when he remembered the face she made.

"True! True! My So-tan already knows as well!~ The face she made was priceless!~ HuHuHu!~" - Serafall also talked about her sister.

"But after the meeting, we will finally know if the Game would be approved." - Ajuka calmed the both of them down.

But both, Azazel and Sirzechs, said at the same time. - ""We already know that it will be approved."" - Their answers were done at the same time and they sounded kind of childish.

"The Brave Saints of Heaven still do not know. After the meeting, I'll tell them."

Michael tried to memorize the new information he needed to tell them. Gabriel was, as always, just smiles, swinging her legs in the chair just like a kid.

Serafall glared holes at her. She, since who knows when, made Gabriel her Rival!

Of course, that's one-sided. She wanted the Game to be approved so that she could have a match with her! Wanting to prove who was stronger between them.

A magic circle materialized inside the hall once again, but this time it looked different.

The former circles were horizontally against the ground but this one was vertically opposed to it. Many Norse Runes accompanied the circle and were all over it, shinning and spinning. However, at one moment, the Runes stopped moving and the magic circle opened just like a double-door.

An old man came from within it. He looked like he was in between his eighties and death.

He wore a gold and blue monocle on his left eye without the addition of the chain, completely covering the entire eye. He had long grey hair and a matching beard. And wore a robe which was short, and had a blue and gold lining on the top and bottom of the collar, the sleeves and at the front of his robes, all the way down to the bottom of the it. The rest of his robe was white, with matching shoes. He also had a golden and black hat that was similar to a crown.

"Yo, Azazel-boy, Devil-boy and Angel-boy. How have things been?" - The old man which irradiated a strong and dense presence, casually greeted the rest.

"Ohhh! Old-man of the North you actually made it! I thought you would be at an Oppai-Pub at this time of the day." - Azazel calmly greeted the God.

The Old-Man just gave a perverted smile. - "Believe me Azazel-boy, I wish!" - He said with a greedy voice.

"By the way Odin-sama, how has Rossweisse been? She has been in the North for more than two months. My sister is kind of worried." - Sirzechs asked the ' _King of the Aesir.'_

He just smiled and with a laugh he said - "You mean the single-woman? She has been really good, she has almost finished all the improvements to the seal of that beast. According to her maybe a week is left." - Odin told the good news to everyone present, making them release a sigh of relief.

The Beast some time ago managed to crack the seal and made big damage to it. That made all the Factions pale in fright. So they asked Rossweisse to check the seal, improve and fix it, if it was possible. But such a complicated seal took its time. Even till today, only the seal has been fixed, the improvements were still on their way.

"I'm glad! I'll tell my sister when I can, I bet she would be happy!" - The Red Maou smiled as he relaxed on his chair, another weight was removed from his back.

"HaHaHaHaHa! Devil-boy, it seems you have a lot of work on your back. But worry not, after the meeting everything will be far easier!" - The Nordic God, seeing the tense face of the Devil, tried to calm him down.

Afterwards, Odin went towards his seat, being at the side of the Angels. He tried to sit at the side of Gabriel but the perverted grin in his face betrayed him.

At a speed faster than lightning Michael switched sides with his sister and sat at the side of Odin.

"Hello, Odin-sama. It's a pleasure seeing you again." - The smile of Michael gave him the chills.

Meanwhile, the rest were either laughing discreetly or like Azazel, out loud.

"HaHaHa! Old-Man, you just got cock-blocked! HaHaHaHa!" - Azazel had difficulty in breathing because of the laugh he was having.

The Norse God only responded with the twitch of his eyebrow and a sour smile, making the Fallen laugh even more.

"HaHaHaH—" - But his laugh stopped as he felt the temperature inside the room rise.

A _crack_ appeared on an empty space at the side of the table, emitting immense heat similar to that of the Sun.

The Crack increased in size and was further expanding. It was completely red in color and shined with an orange-yellow light, heat irradiated from the center part of it making everyone sweat.

Soon, three figures made their appearance, two of them well known while the last... not as much.

They were three women, beautiful in the whole sense of the word.

Among them, there was a black-haired beauty with two tails and an air of elegance surrounding her.

She wore a black and gold Kimono that parted down her legs, showing the beauty of her white skin. Her hair was flowing freely down her back and covering part of her shoulders. The Kimono she wore was open and showed a glimpse of her beautiful breasts, just enough so that it didn't seem vulgar.

She was Kuroka, the new Ambassador of the Yōkai.

"Nya?~ We're here!" - It seemed that her playful attitude still remained, but it appeared to be more controlled.

She quickly stepped out of the Crack and walked at the table, right towards three chairs that were at the side of the Fallen Angels.

She walked and sat down on the left chair, all eyes still on her.

"Kuroka! Please wait for a second! I know you want to be done with this as fast as possible but still!" - The second figure inside the Crack walked out of it.

She was an extremely beautiful woman with a voluptuous figure and very long blonde hair with matching eyes.

She had very delicate facial features and her eyebrows were cut very short and round. Her hair was tied in a loose ponytail, reaching all the way down to her legs that end in a spiral with taut bandages to keep it in place.

She also wore a shrine maiden outfit but this one was golden in color, revealing—to the luck of all men present, a great part of her assets.

She was Yasaka, the current leader of the Yōkai and a ' _Kitsune-no-Kami_ ' or Divine Kyuubi.

"Yasaka. Let Kuroka be like this. Always being tense makes my shoulders sore and makes you look older~" - The third woman spoke with a relaxed tone of voice, she appeared to be quite carefree.

She was a woman in her late twenties, with bright red hair similar to flames. She wore her hair in a wavy side ponytail with side bangs that came down her right shoulder. Because of the size of her bust, it appeared to rest only half-way down her right breast.

She looked extremely beautiful and her golden eyes seemed to shine like flames.

Her clothing was a traditional Japanese Kimono—that similar to Kuroka's, was open right at her legs letting her flawless, white skin be seen. The color of the Kimono was gold and designs in the shape of small suns could be seen all over it. Her ' _Obi_ ' was mainly red with a hint of black, creating a contrast that accentuated her slim waist.

A small, hand-sized mirror floated behind her, it was pitch black in color and around its circumference it had different blue jewels.

The woman was the second God to arrive.

Current chief of Japanese Mythology, Amaterasu! Goddess of the Sun and an extremely powerful woman, being among the ' _Top 20_ ' of the World Ranking!

The mirror behind her was the ' _Yata no Kagami_ ', capable of reflecting any kind of attack. A treasure of Japanese Mythology that specializes in defense.

"Yes, Yasaka-chan!~ Just like A-chan said, you need to relax-nya~" - The comment of Kuroka and the giggles of Amaterasu made her pop a vein in anger.

Before she snapped, Amaterasu stepped in. - "NeNe, Yasaka. We have more important things to do, so please _relaaax_ ~" - While moving her hands, Amaterasu tried to calm Yasaka.

"Amaterasu-sama! You're too relaxed, exactly like Kuroka! Please take these matters more seriously!" - Yasaka tried to scold Amaterasu, but she just smiled and tilted her head. Getting another tired sigh from the Yōkai.

Giving up, Yasaka walked close to the table and sat at the right chair, leaving the center one for the Sun Goddess.

The three sat down and talked among themselves, but soon enough Amaterasu spoke to Sirzechs.

"Sirzechs-san. My friends at both of my sides have been talking about the Sekiryuutei far too much among themselves.~ Even Kuroka came to us just for being at his side. If it's possible, I would like to meet the man that made them like this!~" - Amaterasu made her request while a finger rested on her tilted cheek, she looked extremely cute.

"Of course Amaterasu-sama. I bet he would love to speak to a beautiful woman such as yourself. After everything is done I will talk to him, asking for a meeting in your name." - Sirzechs responded to the request of the Goddess, giving a small reverence.

"Damn, that Sekiryuutei-boy! Why is he so lucky?!" - Odin intervened, envy overflowing from his voice.

"Why does he have so much luck with women?! If this keeps going on, I think I will need to talk to him and have him spill his secrets!" - The Old-Man stated, fire in his eyes and power in his voice. The Sekiryuutei needed to share his secrets!

Such comments made all the people except Amaterasu and Gabriel, have a drop of sweat in the back of their heads.

((((((How can you be so childish?)))))) - They thought simultaneously.

Minutes flew by. Some talked amongst each other while others stayed silent, there was even someone sleeping, not caring about anything.

But soon the sound of the rumbling of thunder was heard. The atmosphere felt electric and the air heavy. The muffling of Thunder was heard closer and more loudly, and in the middle of the room a lightning bolt struck the ground!

*. _..Sizzle ...Sizzle_ *

After the brief splendor two men could be seen.

The first man had blood-red clothes similar to a toga. On top of it, he had a white mantle with gold embroidery, many different Greek letters were also on it. He wore a golden crown on his head and many white jewels accompanied it as well as brown sandals that reach halfway through his calf.

He looked like a handsome man with long blonde hair with a goatee and bronze eyes. The emotions of his eyes were excitement and a little bit of happiness.

He was the ' _King of the Sky and Thunder!'_ Zeus!

"Well, I have arrived!" - Zeus screamed, making the entire hall tremble just because of his voice.

He looked extremely confident and happy, maybe because of the Game they will announce. After all, he was one of the Gods that proposed the World-Class Rating-Games.

Since the war finally ended and the end of the world passed, he no longer needed to worry about anything, so this Game was his greatest wish.

"Brother! Please calm down, you are not here alone. We should show the greatness of Olympus!" - The man that came with him recommended.

He had a friendly smile on his face and even a perverted light could be seen in his eyes when he looked at the beautiful women present.

He had a well-built body towering over two meters, even bigger than Zeus at his side.

He wore a white toga covering his left chest and the same sandals as his brother.

On top of his clothing, armor could be seen. It was covering both arms, his right shoulder and a little bit of his chest. It was a deep blue in color and that suited him rather well because of his short blue hair that only reached his shoulders. His eyes were a lighter tone of blue similar to the sky, and metallic-grey trident rested on his back emitting a menacing vibe.

He was the God of the Oceans of the Greek Mythology! Poseidon!

"HaHaHaHa! You're right brother! I only got excited because of the many people here!" - Zeus pretty much screamed his answer, getting a tired sigh from Azazel and Sirzechs. Both of them were the ones that knew the pair of brothers the most.

"HaHa! Well I can't blame you, just look at all the beautiful women present! It would be an insult to not become excited!" - Poseidon commented as he looked at the woman.

He looked closer at each of them, only getting angry looks from each of them except Gabriel.

At the increase in killing intent, the God of the Seas sweated heavily and turned his whole body around, his face pale. Angry women were the worst possible threat in the world...

"HaHaHaHa! Look at you! You look like a scared little animal!" - Azazel laughed once again loudly.

"True brother, it seems you still have a trauma with women! HaHaHaHa!" - Zeus laughed once again, accompanying the Fallen in his mockery.

"Hmph! You sure are one to talk brother! Hera doesn't even look at you!"

Zeus froze, his previous excited look froze with him as well.

"Pffft!" - Azazel laughed at Zeus.

"And you Aza-boy, at least I am not single, and no woman leaves me after a night!" - Poseidon hit the nail right in the head.

"Pfft! HaHa! HaHaHaHa!" - Zeus recovered, with tears in his eyes he laughed at the missery of the Fallen.

By now Azazel had a defeated look in his face, a depressing feeling emanated from him.

""The Karma, the sweet, sweet karma! HaHaHaHa!"" - Baraqiel and Shemhazai laughed as well, happy that someone taught him his place.

The rest of the guests were also discreetly laughing. The women giggling and the men doing their best not to end up as Zeus, Baraqiel and Shemhazai. They found the retort from Poseidon too funny!

"Well, it seems almost everyone is here." - An unexpected voice was heard, making all laughs stop.

No one felt the presence of this individual, not even the Gods present.

All turned to the origin of the voice, being a lone chair next to Odin—that just till some moments ago was empty.

A child sat there, but the sole aura of power he emitted was too big. It caused everyone in the hall to tense immediately.

"""Shiva!""" - The representatives of the Three Biblical Factions screamed as they looked at the boy sitting peacefully on his chair.

"Shiva, when did you arrive?" - Odin at his side asked with a loud voice for everyone to hear.

"Since you did, Old-Man of the North. I didn't speak because I found it interesting." - Shiva quickly dismissed the reason of why he didn't speak till now.

He was a handsome young boy, he looked like a middle-school student with normal features having a well structured face with green and black hair which looks more bluish. He had sharp eyes that possessed bottomless divinity and limitless superiority.

He was the representative of the Hindu Faction, The God of Destruction and one of the Triparite of the Hindu Mythology! Shiva the Destroyer!

While everyone was just staring at him, Shiva felt something far away from here. He then looked at the direction he thought the presence was coming from.

"Hmm? What is..." - The direction he was looking at was unknowingly the direction where Issei was doing the ritual, right at the same time that the reunion started.

"Something wrong?~" - Amaterasu asked a bit intrigued because of the looks in Shiva's face.

He didn't answer, instead he activated his powers and a third eye appeared on his forehead.

' _The Eye of Destruction!'_

This scene caused everyone to stop their movements and rise their guards up to the maximum, even the Gods were no exception!

He looked at the same direction and saw something he found extremely interesting. The Current Sekiryuutei was going through a change.

(Mmm? Interesting young Sekiryuutei, it seems you are now someone different. It will be fun meeting you in person.) - Shiva thought as he deactivated his ' _Third Eye.'_

"Forgive me, I thought I sensed something but it was my misconception." - Shiva said as he turned back at the reunion, looking at everyone present.

After the words of Shiva everyone relaxed. They thought someone was going to attack them, but thankfully nothing happened.

"Fuuu... Don't scare us like that Shiva-sama." - Sirzechs spoke while relaxing a bit. In front of a God you can't be too relaxed.

"My mistake." - Shiva once again answered at the comment from the Maou.

* * *

.

Just a few minutes went by since the incident right now, everyone was talking amongst each other.

Shiva instead sat on his chair thinking about who knows what.

Asmodeus, as normal, was sleeping. Yet at the same second everyone tensed, they all sensed it.

"It seems they are coming." - Zeus spoke for everyone to hear. Getting nods from everyone except Shiva that only smiled slightly.

Particles of light started to appear, accumulating at the seat of ' _Honor_ ' if you want to say it like that.

Light gathered, forming two silhouettes.

After a brief moment, the light dispersed just like a broken piece of glass and on its place, two men stood. One bigger than the other, while the other looked older than the first.

They were the guests of honor, the current chief and the strongest warrior of the Celts...

Dagda and Lugh!

Lugh was a man that appeared to be in his early thirties, he had shortly-trimmed white hair with yellowish eyes. He was fit and looked rather tall. He wore an entire set of armor except for the helmet, its color being pure white with some details in gold alongside Celtic Runes and other designs.

In his hand was a rather famous spear, a spear that was known to have killed Balor.

A spear, comparable to ' _Gugnir_ ' and to the True Longinus.

A spear that was said to be impossible to overcome. Named after himself, ' _The Spear of Light_ ', Lugh's Spear, Brionarc!

At his waist another weapon could be seen, this time a sword. Short in length but with many intricate runes on the edge of the blade.

It was a sword capable of getting the truth out of any kind of being as long as the sword was at their throats! Known as ' _The Answerer_ ' or simply as, Fragarach!

The man at his side looked old. Only less than Odin, maybe around his seventies.

He wore a black cape with a hood and a simply built leather armour underneath, also black in color. He had piercing red eyes that made everyone stay alert, and the aura he irradiated was heavy but also was relaxed as if he didn't want to attack.

"Well Hello everyone. It's a pleasure to meet you all." - The old man sounded friendly.

"My name is Dagda, chieftain of the Celtic Mythology." - The Old-Man told them his name, just for pleasantries.

"And he, at my side, is Lugh." - Dagda presented his companion as he pointed at him with his finger.

"A pleasure to meet you all! As the Old-Man said, my name is Lugh, God of Light!" - The man pointed back at Dagda when he named him. His tone was smooth and comfortable, he was quite the nice guy to be around.

"Well, shall we talk about negotiations? We all have other things to do, so better make this quick." - Dagda spoke as he sat on the chair that was on the complete opposite side from the Maou's, Lugh took his right-hand side.

"Of course Dagda-sama. We wish to talk to you about the possible alliance between the Celts and the rest of the Supernatural World. After the incident related to the Trihexa many lives were lost, many places destroyed and many had to sacrifice something in order to gain peace." - Sirzechs spoke in a calm tone, everyone let him speak, he was the best speaker among them.

"Yes, our territory was also destroyed by that _Beast_. Many of our people were lost as well. The treaty and alliance was something we decided among ourselves before coming here." - Dagda told Sirzechs, since he seemed to be the voice of everyone here.

"Tír na nÓg was badly destroyed. After the attack of the Beast we saw how, alone, we were useless. Maybe if we had help from the outside many of our brethren would still be alive. My son, and my son's son were tragically lost during the battle." - Dagda explained to them, loneliness clearly written in his eyes.

"That's why we seeked you first. We simply want two things from you and you will have the alliance." - Those words caught the attention of everyone.

"First; if anything of this scale happens again and we request your aid, you will come and help us. Second; No more war among all of us. That includes you, Three Biblical Factions." - Dagda continued his speech, he clearly cared about his people a lot.

"Dagda-sama we compromise to accomplish these two request from you, and I give you my word that no longer will anyone fight a useless war! We Three Factions lost a lot during this period. People, family, land, everything was lost, that's why we will never fight a war again! You have my word and the word of everyone present!" - Sirzechs stated while he stood up from his chair, he then bowed at Dagda with the most sincerity he could muster.

The rest of people inside the hall looked at Dagda and nodded at the words of Sirzechs.

Dagda and Lugh were awestruck, the former proud races that stole their believers and were full of arrogance were now bowing before them, the rest of Factions were practically doing the same!

Dagda could see the sincerity in their eyes, while in others pain and in the rest hope.

At this moment both Lugh and Dagda looked at each other and faintly smiled, their answer was obvious enough.

""In that case... We, The Celtic Mythology, agree to the alliance. Let there be peace!"" - Both of them spoke as they stood up, happy about the results.

The rest involved were also happy, smiles adorned their faces. Even Shiva had a small smirk.

"Good, after this we all shall sign the documents to prove that we have peace!" - Sirzechs once again spoke.

"Now moving to other subjects. We need to speak about the World-Class Rating-Games. After all, that's something important!" - Azazel told everyone present.

""Rating Games?"" - Dagda and Lugh asked, interested in the name of such an event.

"Is it a kind of sport?" - Lugh asked, it seemed he was quite curious about this.

"About that Lugh-sama it goes like this..."

* * *

.

The meeting extended for a little more than an hour. After all, they needed to explain what happened to the World after the attack of the Beast and other things, among them the World-Class Rating-Games.

After the explanation, both Lugh and Dagda were impressed, an idea of this calibre could make the Factions even closer, stop any more attempts to ignite a war, as well as making great benefits!

"I'm interested! I want to participate!" - Lugh looked like a child that just got a new toy.

Dagda only shook his head a little at the response of Lugh.

"So I can assume you do not hold any trouble with it?" - Sirzechs asked cautiously.

"Against it? Why would I be against it?! This is such a perfect opportunity to make the Factions get even closer, prevent future wars and also fight strong opponents! I'm really interested in your young generation! They seemed fun to meet!" - Lugh immediately gave his approval.

"Dagda-sama. What about you?" - Sirzechs asked expectantly at Dagda.

He only nodded and said. - "I also do not hold any complaint. I actually believe it will be interesting." - Dagda accepted the proposal, a bright light shown in his eyes.

"It seems everyone approved the motion." - Ajuka was satisfied at the outcome.

"Then why don't we start making the rules so we can finally start the procedure?" - They all nodded at the words of Ajuka.

After some discussions the came with the rules of the game:

1.- Anyone can register as a King.

2.- A King can register anyone on his team as long as the targeted person isn't in another team.

3.- Devils with multiple Evil Pieces will be treated as 1 Piece for this tournament with the exception of Gods or God-level in power, which instead will be counted as 2 Pieces or 8 Pawn Pieces.

4.- Each teams starts with zero points and they would accumulate more points by playing matches.

5.- If one wins one will gain ten points, 0 points if one loses. If there's a draw then a professional committee of the ones present will decide how to accurately distribute the points.

6.- The 32 teams with the highest points will advance to the ' _Professional Round!'_

7.- The winner team will get their ' _Wish_ ' granted as long as it's not at an incredibly large scale or reigniting the war.

8.- For registration one needs to go to the Underworld, there, a special set of pieces will be given. (Made in conjunction with every Faction; Devils, Angels, Fallen, Norse, etc). The team name needs to be proposed there.

9.- A phone with an ' _App_ ' will be given during the time of registration, everything will be done through the ' _App_ '. Every change in the Team needs to be announced before their next match. News about the tournament, announcements, leaderboard, everything will be done with the App.

10.- The limit for entering the Tournament is the day before the first official match.

11.- If one loses a match justly two times, whether in a row or not, then they will be kicked out from the Tournament.

After a few minutes, they decided the rules. The price was decided by Shiva, saying it will be more fun that way.

Everyone agreed, the rules were quite simple and easy to understand. Now the real problem came, ' _The Official Name._ '

When they said that, everyone looked fiercely at each other as if blood will be spilled.

But after the intervention of the women the way to decide it was done in a simple tournament of ' _Rock-Paper-Scissors._ '

Right now the final Round was starting, everyone gathered around the finalists looking intently at it.

Zeus vs Azazel.

Some way or another the rest of the participants were eliminated, only these two remained.

According to Zeus he wanted to name the tournament, ' _Neo Olimpic Games_ ', ' _NOC_ ' for short.

Azazel was even more shameless. If he won he wanted to name it ' _Azazel Cup.'_

Everyone wanted Zeus to win, his name was much better than the one Azazel proposed. They looked intently at the battle, even Shiva was hoping for Zeus to win.

""Rock-Paper-Scissors, Shoot!""

Everything went in slow motion, soon the winner was decided.

"""""NOOOOOOOOOO!""""" - Everyone screamed in anger and exasperation, clearly wanting to vomit blood in anger at the name.

The only one that was happy was

"Fuck Yeeeaahh! Azazel Cup for the wiiiinnn!" - Azazel was jumping, manically screaming because fate decided to side with him.

"Thank you almighty rock! You're my savior!" - Azazel kissed his hand while praying to the rock in his hand.

Everyone looked defeated, even Shiva was a bit saddened, but the one who was feeling the worst was Zeus.

He was on his knees, a depressing mood was entirely on him, never in his entire existence did he felt so much regret, pain and loss.

"Okay everyone we have to end the meeting." - Ajuka stated, getting nods from everyone except from Zeus who was still on the floor lamenting.

But before anyone could leave Amaterasu spoke.

"Oh, right!" - Her tone carefree, she said. - "Everyone, this next Friday, at midnight, at Kioto's Imperial Castle we're going to have a party for the recovery of a lost ancient treasure of our Faction!" - She finished explaining.

"Everyone is free to _comeee_!~" - She said sensually, giving all a brief glimpse down her cleavage. - "No. Invitation. _Needed!_ ~" - She winked at them showing off her curves, but the answers pretty much everyone gave her were.

"Amaterasu-san. We are grateful but we need to finish unsolved business in the Underworld so we cannot go. We are extremely sorry!" - Sirzechs told her with slight regret in his voice.

"Amaterasu we have also things to do in our Pantheon. So please excuse our absence." - Zeus told her, pity filling his voice.

"Amaterasu-san. Unfortunately, I'm not capable of attending myself, but I will ask in my home if anyone wants to go!" - Odin felt too much regret, being alone in a party with a beautiful woman, such a waste.

"I do not believe anyone will go, but I'll ask." - Shiva told the Goddess, calmness in his voice and eyes.

"We still need to fix the majority of Heaven so it will prove impossible, an apology." - Michael bowed his head in repentance.

"We need to prepare for the Game so we can't accompany you." - Shemhazai spoke in regards to the Fallen.

"We still have business to attend to back at home, and with the approval of the alliance many things are going to happen. I need to calm my people down." - Dagda told her. He felt bad, the first event outside his faction and he couldn't attend to it.

"Haaaa..." - Amaterasu sighed, she knew the answers before even asking, after all, right now only her faction was the only one taking a breath.

According to the ones that found the artifact, they found it after the destruction the Beast did in their territory, right when they were repairing the terrain of Nasuno.

The last time the artifact was heard of was indeed in that location, so she was quite happy with the information given. Yasaka was the same, the same report was read to both of them by one of her subordinates.

"Don't worry." - She waved her hand. - "A lot of things are still needed to be done. When everything's done we can have a party for celebration, maybe even before the Games!~" - Amaterasu proposed while she was making future plans.

"""""Sure.""""" - She got the answer she was looking for.

"Okay!~ Goodbye, we'll see each other after everything is done!~" - She activated her powers while she said those last words and just like they first came, the three women left.

Not too long after, they were followed by everyone else.

The only ones remaining were the Three Biblical Factions.

"Before any of you leave, I have something to tell you." - Sirzechs stood from his chair and walked closer to the leaders of the Fallen and the Angels.

Their interest peaked, they decided to stay.

""What is it?"" - Pretty much everyone asked, aside from the four Maou's.

"After all the battles we wish to talk to Ise-kun about a promotion in the Underworld." - Sirzechs dropped the bomb, making the other races widen their eyes.

"He has done far too much. So we decided, alongside with the Council, that we should promote him!" - Sirzechs was happy for his future brother-in-law.

The faces of the rest soon turned back into their normal ones.

"Yes. I believe that after all he did, he at least deserves a gift like this." - Shemhazai had a smile on his face as he gave his opinion on the matter.

"I concur. Ise-kun has done so much for us, individually and in general. A reward like this is truly something he will be happy for." - Michael gently smiled, he remembered the moments he spent with the Sekiryuutei, evidently happy about him.

"So... when will you tell him?" - Azazel was curious, he wanted to be present at the moment they say that to him. The face he will make will be priceless.

"About that, we wish for it to be as soon as possible, but..." - Ajuka was answering in place of Sirzechs.

"After everything that has happened, we haven't been able to even start the procedure. However, after all of this, I believe that at most by next Sunday everything should be done, I'll make sure of it!" - Ajuka was excited, he always felt intrigued by the Sekiryuutei.

(Just how will his Pieces come out?) - He had a hand on his chin, hopeful of whatever the results would be.

"I see..." - Azazel had a hand on his chin. - "Well, it won't be _that_ long." - He shrugged, a bit of unhappiness filtered in his voice.

"Yeah I know it's long, but after everything is done I will make sure that he becomes a High-Class Devil!" - Sirzechs expressed, this was his last job before he could rest.

"Then everyone, if that's all, we need to leave. Lets meet again another time!" - Michael stood from his chair and walked away, Gabriel at his side.

The former magic circle appeared and before long light filled the room and the both of them vanished.

"Well, it seems we also need to leave." - Shemhazai told them as he did almost the same as Michael, but the magic circle was different from theirs. Azazel also went with them, quite rare since he always acted as if he didn't want to go back to work.

"Sorry guys, but this time I can't mess around. Call me when you plan to go for Issei, next Friday will be my last day working!" - Azazel proudly stated, getting only nods from the four Maou's and an angry mutter from Shemhazai. - "As if you work!"

Light once again filled the room and shortly after, they as well vanished.

"Haaaa..." - Sirzechs gave a sigh, he was finally approaching his goal of relaxing.

"We also need to go, we have things to do." - Ajuka stood up and went towards the door of the Hall. Since they were already in the Underworld and their offices were upstairs they didn't have to use magic.

He got nods from his two friends and a yawn from Asmodeus, he left first not waiting for the rest.

"Sirzechs-chan!~ Falbi-chan!~ We'll see each other soon, bye-bye~" - Serafall followed him after saying her goodbyes.

"Lets finish this!" - Sirzechs motivated himself to continue his work, he stood up and cooly left the Hall. Leaving only the current Asmodeus which by the work of destiny was still sleeping soundly.

Snores were the only sound left after the reunion, clearly from a far too lazy Maou.

* * *

 **—-Time Skip / Next Friday, Early in the Morning / Sixth Heaven.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Now on the Sixth layer of Heaven, the Seraphs were having their last meeting of the week and hopefully, the last for a long time.

The Sixth Heaven was a beautiful place, second only to the ' _Last Heaven_ ' where the System resided.

It was filled with tall, modern buildings similar to skyscrapers, all of them floating on clouds, creating a rather surreal image.

The buildings all had different heights, some closer to the ground while other far higher from it. They had different colors but they followed the thematic of Heaven, being that of gold, white, grey and even a little of red. Of course, mixing them a bit and what not.

Right at this moment, inside a pure white building that was shining in a golden light, on the uppermost level of the same building, a meeting was being held.

The most important people of Heaven, leaving aside the ones that were busy, were inside it.

Inside the highest room of the building many different Angels were sitting around a white, oval table. All of them had various wings on their backs, from two all the way to twelve, all in various colors. Most of the Angels had multiple Halos on their heads but some only had a single one.

Then the leader amongst them spoke.

"Well, I pray that today is our last meeting for a while. We all need a break." - Michael stated with a tired voice, he needed some vacations.

The rest of the presents nodded their heads to his words all with similar expressions in their faces.

"Good. Then, who wants to start this meeting?" - Michael asked with a smile on his face.

"I shall start brother!" - A masculine voice was heard and shortly after a man stood up from his seat.

"Oh!" - Michael sounded surprised. - "Uriel, excellent!" - Michael felt relieved at the one who offer himself to be the first one to talk.

Uriel was a handsome, middle-aged man with short, curly brown-hair and kind golden eyes. A bandage covered the entire left side of his face as well as part of his neck.

He wore the standard Angel clothing, being a pair of white pants and a simple robe. However, his robe had flame designs at the borders of it and it emanated a feeling of holiness and heat. At his head, on top of four intersecting halos, a small crimson fire was lit.

He had twelve white and red Angel wings, proving his Title as ' _The Flame of God._ '

"I have the delight to report that 70% of repairs to the first and second Heaven are finished !" - Uriel smiled at his own words.

"50% of the Third Heaven and from the Fourth and Fifth, 20% of the repairs are done." - He kept talking. - "If this speed keeps going then in around three more months everything will be repaired!"

Uriel was happy with the work of all the Angels. They even received the help from other Factions, whether materials, labor or other things.

"So if things keep going like they are we can see the Games peacefully!~" - A kind, naive voice was heard, said voice came from ' _The Most Beautiful Angel of Heaven,_ ' Gabriel. And ever since the approval of the Games, she has been in the best mood since a long time ago.

"Indeed." - Michael nodded his head. - "If things keep going like this, then we'll make it." - Finally regaining his usual smile, feeling like a huge burden was lifted from his shoulders, he relaxed on his chair.

"Finally, some good news." - A woman spoke with a soft voice that felt as if it was healing you. - "Have you decided to make a team for the Game?" - The same woman spoke again, eyeing Michael from the corner of her eye.

"Of course, Raphael." - Michael replied. - "I have already ordered Dulio to start making a team. We still have much time left so right now he is still looking for members." - He answered the question of the now known as Raphael.

Raphael was an incredibly beautiful woman really close to the beauty of Gabriel herself. She had soft, creamy skin and a face that was that of a strict beauty to a 'T' while also having a fair deal of elegance and grace.

She had an extraordinarily light-toned, lilac-coloured hair that went past her hips and almost reached her thighs. That same hair was done in a wavy style while a single lock of it crossed her forehead, across her nose and ended at her right side of her face.

She had tender blue eyes similar to the blue sky and wore sleeveless, long dress similar to Gabriel's. It was light blue in color but had a tinge of violet on its edges, also being far shorter than Gabriel's, freeing her legs almost in their entirety.

She wore white boots that reached her calfs and had a staff on her right hand. Said staff was made out of bronze and emitted a wondrous aura.

"So it's like that." - She crossed her arms. - "Very good, I expect a lot from our team." - She smiled at Michael with her arms still crossed and her eyes now closed.

That same smile caused everyone to relax, maybe because she was the Seraph representing Healing.

"Well, it seems things are going perfectly." - Michael said and looked at a certain female exorcist that was here with them.

"Griselda, please tell us your report." - Michael asked the woman who was standing at the right-hand side of Gabriel.

"Yes. Michael-sama!" - She bowed to Michael while she separated herself from her mistress.

Griselda was an older woman approaching her late thirties. Her face had a perpetual kind smile but her eyes held all the seriousness that was possible, creating a contrast that caused everyone to focus their entire attention on her.

She wore a classic nun outfit with a wooden cross across her neck. Although not much could be seen, everyone could notice that she had a stupendous body and by her face, which was gentle yet strict, one could see her distinct beauty.

"The missions regarding the Remnants of Qlippoth haven't been successful, only a couple of hidden sites have been found but they either have no one of importance, or are already empty." - Griselda calmly narrated to the Seraphs and her mistress, she felt annoyed at the fact that the rebels were hidding rather well.

"Okay, not everything needs to be good. How about the missions with the Devils?" - Michael was satisfied with her report so he asked once again.

All this time many missions have been done in order to help the Devils with their problems, political or not. Even among the Three Biblical Factions, they clearly got the short end of the stick. So they decided—Angels and Fallen Angels, to lend them a hand with what they could.

"About that, things have been going extremely well." - She replied in an instant.

"Revolts have been dealt with and with the rather peaceful ones, a non-violent approach has been applied. But the remnants of the Old Maou Faction are still rooted inside of the Underworld. It would prove difficult to completely remove them in a short period of time." - Griselda finished her report with those words and went back to the side of her mistress.

The Seraphs became quiet, Michael amongst them looked kind of worried, it seemed that the problem with the Devils was bigger than he thought.

"How much time do you think is needed to eliminate every seed from the Old Maou Faction?" - Michael asked Griselda with an indecipherable look in his eyes.

"At most..." - She closed her eyes. - "More than eight months, Michael-sama." - Answering while thinking for a moment, the nun told the Seraph with an emotionless expression on her face.

"I see..." - Michael put a hand on his chin clearly on a meditative pose.

"...Brother..." - Gabriel worriedly said to her brother. She knew that when he acted like this he always was worried about something.

"Sorry Gabriel but I am worried about their situation." - Michael replied to his sister while still thinking about the problem.

"Brother, do not worry! If they need our help they will certainly ask us!" - Uriel tried to calm his brother down.

"Yes Michael, relax. Right now we need to focus on what can be done." - Raphael replied in a logical way.

(My Brothers and Sisters are right. For the moment we need to focus on Heaven and the Game. If Sirzechs or any of them needed help, then they would have asked us.) - Michael calmed down.

* _SLAAAMM!_ *

The double doors of the room were slammed open and a ten winged, Ultimate-Class Angel, barraged in.

"Michael-sama!" - He screamed at the top of his lungs. - "We have a problem with the System!"

This made all the Seraphs inside the room widen their eyes in shock.

Michael stood up from his seat and ordered. - "Take me there, now!"

He knew the angel wasn't lying, if he was then his wings would have flickered, even for the briefest of seconds.

"Yes my Lord!" - The Angel replied, turned around, opened his wings and started to fly in the direction he came from.

"Gabriel! Come with me!" - He looked at his sister. - "The rest be on guard, alert the Angels on all layers of Heaven that something may happen!" - They nodded their heads.

"Dulio try to contact Azazel, inform him about what's happening. Once you have told him, come to the Last Heaven!" - Michael gave his orders to his Joker while opening his wings and following the Ultimate-Class Angel.

* * *

.

While flying, Michael asked the Angel what had happened since there were still a distance away from their destiny. Although no one could get near the System guarding the entrance was possible, of course, with Michael's approval.

Gabriel was silently flying at the side of her brother, worry painted all over her face.

(What could have happened?) - She was thinking to herself until the words of the Angel stopped her train of thought.

"It all started a week ago when you left for the conference, Michael-sama." - He began explaining.

"The System was shining brightly, signifying the change of a possesor of a Sacred Gear. Soon after, the System launched lightning and Holy Power, stating that a Longinus possesor was dead and a change on the Longinus host occurred." - This caused the Seraphs to widen their eyes.

"When we tried to contact you, the entire level ruled by the System shut down. It didn't let us escape the Last Heaven or make any form of contact. All the past week the System spewed lightning, Holy Power and even flames." - While catching his breath, both Michael and Gabriel were listening intently.

"My partner and I spent the entire week trying to escape, but everything we did was useless. The System didn't let us out." - His voice was solemn.

"Just until a few moments ago the System stopped and went back to normal. At that moment, I flew towards the place I felt your aura and told you what happened." - The Angel finished his explanation.

Meanwhile, they already reached the destination; The Last Heaven.

A big golden gate with spikes was seen. Of course, this only being the entrance to the Last Heaven and not that to the System itself.

Flying past it, they went up a road that was similar to the ones in the medieval era with the slight difference of being pure white in color.

The sky here was similar to an endless night and the stars could be seen. It was as if the entire galaxy was just a finger away.

The different planets were glimpsed at the distance, meteors spinning around them and going in different directions. A couple of comets flew across the sky at the Third Cosmic Velocity leaving only a trail of silver-blue dust that soon dispersed into the nothingness of Space.

The biggest star was proudly shining in the center of all. Even amongst all of the stars remaining, this was the brightest by far. It was the Sun.

It could be seen at the furthest ends of the Space, the halo surrounding it moving at random directions. And some Solar-Flares could be seen scattering brilliant particles of light all over Space.

The angels continued their flight. Because they were accustomed to the view, it no longer surprised them as much as it once did.

Soon after, they reached another gate, this one being shorter and much more bright than any of the ones inside Heaven. In front of it, one could see another ten winged Angel, the partner of the one guiding them.

Behind the gate, one could see a throne stationed right below the brightest star in Space.

One could see, the winds of Heaven, white in color which turned and brought the circumference of the sun and all the stars to their setting.

One could see seven mountains of magnificent stones as the support of the throne.

Three were towards the east, and three towards the south. For those towards the east, one was of coloured stone, one of pearl and one of marble, and those towards the south were of red stone. But the middle one reached the center of the throne of God, it was of alabaster and the summit of the throne was of sapphire.

Behind the throne, a Halo was shining in gold and white and blue with white, illuminating everything in Space.

This place was the end of Heaven and Earth.

This was the ' _System of the Sacred Gears_ ' as well as the Throne of God!

While taking a look at the System, Michael was surprised, it acted as it always did. No shining, nor lightning, nor flames could be seen.

"Are you sure something happened?" - Michael asked the guards

""Absolutely!"" - Both of them answered instantaneously and with certainty.

"I see..." - Michael knew both of them couldn't be lying.

"Then please leave. My sister and I shall stay here and verify what exactly happened."

""By your will."" - Both replied and flew away.

"Brother, we need to check it, I know you don't like it but it needs to be done." - Gabriel told to her brother.

She knew he disliked the fact of sitting on the throne to check the System. After all, it was of Father, but for the sake of everything they had built up till today he needed to do it.

"Haaa..." - A sigh escaped his mouth, he had no other choice, something needed to be done and he was the only capable of doing it.

"Sister stay here, I'll go and check. Whoever appears here make them wait until I return." - So as to not affect the System only he could go inside.

Reciting an extremely complicated and weird spell, he opened the gate to the throne.

As soon as he went inside it, the gate slammed shut and nothing could be heard from the inside.

Michael went towards the throne and mentally asked for forgiveness to his Father, words couldn't express how he felt.

Sitting on the throne, he sent his Holy Aura and started to check what happened to the System. Immediately he discovered that something did happen, so he focused more on that.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes into Hours. Michael, for all of this time closed his eyes, concentrating on what he was doing.

After more time passed he opened his eyes, inside them was confusion.

He discovered the reason for the anomaly, but he couldn't pinpoint it. It was extremely weird, the first time since the creation of the System.

Flying towards the gate, he could see two silhouettes, one male and the other female.

Reaching the gate, he opened it and went outside. Soon after, the gate closed by itself and now, in front of him, were his dear sister and his trustworthy Joker.

"Michael-san. I contacted the Former Governor as you said through your personal magic circle, but seeing that you would take your time we decided to wait for you until you finished. What happened? You took your time, it's already midday in the human world." - Dulio spoke to the Seraph.

"Don't worry Dulio, after going down to the Sixth Heaven I'll explain it to everyone, at that moment, we'll contact Azazel again." - Michael explained as he walked back to the Sixth Heaven.

Michael was always looking right at the floor, his sight glued to it. An intricate light filled his blue eyes, it appeared that whatever happened to the System was something bad.

They continued their walk, but both Dulio and Gabriel did not dare ask about what had happened. Michael looked far too thoughtful, so they didn't dare stop his train of thought.

After completely leaving the Last Heaven, they reached the Sixth Heaven. The sky changed from midnight to pure white without any cloud.

At the moment when they left the Last Heaven, Dulio already called the Seraphs and told them that Michael was back at the Sixth Heaven.

Flying down, they approached the building they were once in.

Opening the door to the room they were formerly in, Michael sat on his former seat and crossed both of his hands at the height of his face, not letting anyone see his face, that by the looks of it, something had gone terribly wrong.

"Before we start." - He said with authority. - "Dulio, call Azazel through the circle, we need him to be with us." - Michael, without moving from his position, ordered his Joker.

The mentioned only nodded and from his left hand a circle golden in color with many ' _Enochian_ ' symbols spinning, was seen. This was Michael's personal circle only given to him in case of emergencies.

Soon after, the circle in his hand started to glow brightly and a figure made its appearance, but only his upper body could be seen.

"Michael! What happened?!" - The voice of Azazel was heard. - "I've been waiting for your call since I heard the news that something happen to the System!" - Azazel was screaming at Michael—which was sitting on his chair looking straight at him. The look in his eyes could send chills down the spines of everyone present.

"A problem occurred with the Sacred Gear System, a problem related to the Longinus." - Michael calmly told the Fallen, making everyone silent. Everyone present didn't expect something to happen to the Sacred Gear System!

"What?! Don't tell me a new Longinus was born!" - The Fallen asked with a scream.

Azazel was desperate, this problem has kept him away from sleep the entire Friday—now being Saturday in the early morning.

"No, its not like that." - Michael told Azazel while he removed his hands from his face. His eyes were completely emotionless, they held nothing and those eyes manage to scare quite a few.

"Then what?!" - Azazel was furious, his friend didn't tell him what had happened and instead of being direct he was beating around the bush!

"Haaaa..." - Michael sighed, managing to calm the tense atmosphere a bit, during that moment Azazel also calmed down.

"The thing is, it seems that a Longinus possesor... died?"

That made everyone feel suspicious. The words spoken from Michael were weird. Why was he dubious when he said the possesor died?

"Died? Why you sound so confused about that?" - Azazel read him like a book, it appeared something weird happened.

"The System also acted confused. It seemed the possesor died and the Longinus was moving to another host but..." - Michael sounded even more baffled.

"But?" - Everyone thought the same, but only Azazel asked.

"His Longinus acted strangely, it appeared that it moved to another host but it was still inside the body. As if the possesor was still alive and the System didn't know what to do." - Michael's words made everyone look at each other, confusion and other emotions clearly written on their faces.

"You mean... that the possesor ' _died_ ' and the System acted like it always did when a possessor died, moving to another host. But at the same time the possesor was still alive and during the process of transference of the Sacred Gear, the Longinus stayed with him counting like a new host but being the same one?"

Those words made everyone surprised, but Michael only nodded, it seemed the Fallen was right.

"Yes." - Michael replied. - "During that period of confusion the System acted strangely, but just recently fixed itself and counted this ' _host_ ' as a new one. However, I'm afraid I do not know which Longinus it is."

"But whatever happened it definitely affected the System, a lot! Even the Longinus Segment of the System itself was pretty damaged, almost as—"

"As if the System had a bug on it's program." - Azazel was really interested in this. Something like this, if news were to be known then chaos will ensure!

"Michael! Don't let anyone know about this, only us and the chiefs of other Factions may know about it." - Azazel looked at Michael in the eyes completely serious about this.

"You said you didn't know which Longinus was the cause?" - Michael shook his head at the words of the Fallen.

Everyone inside the room was also silent, they wouldn't let anyone know that something happened to the System.

"Then the best we can do it to seek all the current possesors and see which one was the cause!" - Azazel was content with himself. Although, it would be kind of annoying going around asking, it will be faster.

"It seems that's the only choice..." - Michael agreed with words of Azazel, that may be the only way left for them.

Michael was worried, anxiety written all over his face. Never in History has something like this happened, it appeared that after the battle with the Beast things would not calm down at all.

"Then keep me informed if anything happens to the System." - Azazel said, breaking everyone off their thoughts.

"You have Dulio at your side, has anything happened to him recently?" - Azazel asked, beginning his long and annoying mission.

"He has always been by my side or beside any of the other Seraphs. So no, nothing bad has happened to him recently." - Michael answered instead of Dulio.

"I see..." - Muttered Azazel. - "Since he hasn't left your eye we can discard the ' _Zenith Tempest_ ' from the list of possible suspects."

"Well, I'll contact you when I figure things on my end."

Azazel disappeared from the magic circle and soon left the Seraphs with one another.

"Brother, I don't like this, I believe something terrible happened!" - Gabriel told him, unknowingly the rest of the present nodded their heads or even muttered a small, ' _I think so_ ' as well.

"Sister, I don't know what to say, but I have to accept that nothing of this feels good." - Michael replied to his sister in a troubled tone of voice.

"Let's hope Azazel finds the cause of this." - Uriel was upset at how things ended up, all was good and then, in a split second, everything went south.

"Yes brother. Lets hope he does, and lets hope that this feeling we have is mistaken." - It seemed this affected the Seraphs far more than one could think.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Department of Azazel, Grigori.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Azazel was inside his personal Laboratory, right now he finished his talk with Michael about the problem with the System.

(I wonder what was the cause of all of this mess?) - Azazel thought to himself as he stood from his chair. Now he had a new mission, something that was extremely important.

"Lets start with Grigori, right now I need to go with each Longinus possessor."

Azazel walked out his lab and straight to the door of his apartment.

Walking outside, towards the hall, he closed the door behind him and turned towards the elevator.

Once inside he saw the panel at the right-hand side of the door.

(Damn! So many levels! Just how can I find them?) - Azazel was thinking to himself when an idea came to his head.

(The Game is coming so Vali should be training at the bottom-most part of Grigori.)

(Slash Dog is more difficult, he is either training discreetly, or went to look for his former team members.) - For now, the best choice was to go with Vali and ask him, perhaps he may even know were Tobio was.

Pushing the button that was labelled as minus 10, the door of the elevator closed.

After a little journey on the elevator, while humming the song he heard through the speakers of it, the doors opened.

(Okay, let's search for Vali.) - Azazel put his hands in his pockets and strolled inside the training field. Said field being really similar to the one in the Hyoudou Mansion.

Continuing his walk, loud explosions were heard across the room and soon, wind and dust followed after the explosions.

On the sky, a white figure was moving at extreme speeds, creating afterimages with every move he made.

On both hands, alarming amounts of Demonic Power could be seen. He was throwing them at the targets inside the Magic Field of Grigori, destroying them on their entirety.

"Vali. Stop for a moment, I want to ask you something!" - Azazel screamed at the figure wearing a white armor.

The figure turned around and after a moment of hesitation, he flew down to the console and deactivated it.

"What do you need Azazel?" - Vali asked while he removed the helmet of the Divine Dividing.

"About that, has anything happen to you recently? Like in the past week?"

Furrowing his brows Vali stared at Azazel, he felt something wrong with his question.

"Something?" - He sounded suspicious. - "Not really, I only trained and trained, waiting for the Games to begin. Aside from the party you asked me to go to and act as a bodyguard, then nothing of importance has occurred this week." - Vali smirked at the first part, a battle-hungry grin spreading throughout his face.

That smile alone made Azazel remove Vali of his suspect list.

(So it wasn't Vali... One down, more to go.)

"Has something happened?" - Vali asked back.

"Don't worry, since you weren't seen since the last couple of days, I thought something important happened to you." - He perfectly lied and by the face of the Hakuryuuko, one could see it succeeded, not for anything was he the leader of a race.

"I see..." - Vali muttered but before he could ask something, he was interrupted by Azazel.

"By the way, have you seen Tobio?"

"Slash Dog? If I'm not wrong he should be in the upstairs floor." - Vali told Azazel, he thought that a new mission was available for the human.

"Thanks." - Azazel turned around and left.

The dragon was suspicious, but he soon continued his training.

While walking to the elevator Azazel was thinking. - (Seems that I need to contact Mephisto after this...)

He went inside the elevator and only went up a floor.

The door soon opened and a world of jet black could be seen.

Many blades came out of the ground, all of them with eerie symbols, seemingly cursed. Those same symbols were red while the rest of the sword pitch black.

At a distance, one could see a semi-humanoid creature in the shape of a black wolf who was also wielding a scythe. A pack of wolves surrounded the figure trying to attack him.

The wolves then moved. Even for the Former Governor those moves were fast and confusing, he wasn't able to see them clearly.

The figure moved at an extreme speed and with a move of his arm, a wolf was cut down exactly in half.

Seeing enough, Azazel screamed. - "Tobio, there's something I need to ask you!"

The figure turned around and with its red eyes, that gave the Fallen chills, he watched the Fallen and spoke with a distorted voice

"Azazel-san, what's the matter?" - The figure said, not releasing his transformation at all.

"Has anything happened to during in the last week?"

The figure tilted his head, confused by the sudden question.

"Not at all, after a few days of going around gathering the old team, I came to Grigori for training. I haven't even been on a mission." - The figure reported his activities, he was accustomed to it.

"So it was like that..." - The Governor stood still for a few moments and scanned the figure in front of him, a few seconds later he shook his head and without saying goodbye, he turned around.

The figure had his eyes on him the entire time, but after some moments he gave up and shrugged his shoulders going back training.

(So he isn't as well... ' _Canis Lykaon_ ' discarded.) - Azazel thought as he went towards his department again, now he wanted to talk with Mephisto.

He reached his laboratory and activated, for the first time in a long time, his personal magic circle for communication. But before he could contact Mephisto, he saw the amount of messages he had.

(Wahh! 23 messages, really?!) - He was surprised at the sole number of them, the vast majority were of Issei, but now he had things to do.

(After all of this is done I should check them. Sorry Issei, I'll talk to you later!) - He activated the circle and it soon started to spin and shine.

After a couple of seconds it stopped and on its place, the figure of a man could be seen.

*Mmm, Azazel? What's wrong?* - The figure became clear and the silhouette was easily recognized.

A man could be seen, he was a middle-aged man with gelled hair, which is a mixture of red and blue. He had heterochromia; his left eye blue while the right is red. He wore a flamboyant magician robe with the same colors as his hair and eyes, and he had a mysterious aura that gave the feeling of confusion.

"About that Mephisto, it goes like this..." - Azazel knew that it was better to explain the situation.

The answer he got was... unexpected.

*What the fucking shit fuck did you just told me?! Are you sure you aren't going senile old-fart?!* - Mephisto's true personality was revealed. He was a man that couldn't take surprises well, he always insulted when extremely surprised or angered.

"Yes, I'm not senile, and who are you calling old-fart?!" - The answer of Azazel made Mephisto surprised, it seemed the world was changing... again!

*Well, that's absolute shit! But I can tell why you called and no, absolutely nothing has happened to Lavinia. Actually, she's quite happy!*

Ignoring the words of Mephisto he only listened to what he was interested in. He stared at Mephisto, trying to find any vestigé of a lie, but nothing could be seen so he crossed the ' _Eternal Ice Princess_ ' from his list.

"...This isn't going well." - Azazel murmured out loud.

The culprit—if it could be called like that, hasn't been found, worry was filling him.

(There's no need to worry, many are left!) - Motivating himself again he cut the circle off after saying a, ' _Thank you_ ' to Mephisto.

He then sat on his chair and sighed.

(Now, who's next?)

Four Longinus were down, and not many to go.

After some time spent thinking, he decided to contact the Grigori hospital and ask about Valerie.

Using his magic circle again, he called and waited until it stopped blinking.

"Azazel-sama. To what do I deserve the honor?" - The head doctor of the Grigory Hospital spoke to him.

He was an old-looking man approaching his fifties, he wore a white lab coat and had eyebags under a pair of bright blue eyes that matched his hair.

"I would like to know how's Valerie doing? Nothing out of the ordinary during the past couple of days?"

"About that Azazel-sama nothing has gone wrong, quite the opposite! Since her friend has always has been coming to see her every single day, she's recovering at an alarming speed. If things keep going like this, then after a month or two she will be free to go!"

Azazel knew it was impossible for the doctor to lie to him, after all, no information about the System has gotten out. That's why he needed to do this as fast as possible, to avoid any kind of trickery.

"I see. I'm glad, maybe she would want to support Gasper in the future Game. Thanks Doctor." - He soon cut communication.

(' _Sephiroth Graail_ ' discarded and since the Purple Cross; ' _The Incinerate Anthem_ ' hasn't selected a host, that is also removed from the list...) - Azazel crossed out two more Longinus.

(Since I'm going through the Holy Relics I need to contact the Hindu Faction, but Indra isn't an option...)

Since the ' _God of War_ ' wasn't on the best terms with the rest, he suspected that the information he could get out of him would be incorrect. So while swallowing his spit he contacted the sole ' _God_ ' that he knew wouldn't lie to him.

*That's unexpected Fallen Angel... Why you called me? I'm interested.* - The other voice was powerful and was filled with strength, it gave Azazel chills only hearing it.

"Shiva... something happened."

Those words made the God at the other side of the call feel surprised.

*What happened?* - The tone of the God was deadly serious.

"It's about the System..." And just as he did with Mephisto, he told Shiva what had happened.

*..….* - Shiva was interested. Something like this was the first in all of History.

"That's why I need to ask you about the ' _True Longinus_ ' and the rest of the High-Tier Longinus, I know they are with _him_." - Azazel asked Shiva, clearly knowing that the rest of the Longinus possessors were with the Holy Spear.

*I see...* - Shiva of course knew about the spear and the rest. After all, they were part of the subordinates of Indra, at least the spear-boy was.

*I'll tell you.* - Shiva agreed to answer his question.

*The spear-boy, the mist-boy and the monster-boy have been in Indra's care. All of them except the monster-boy seem interested in the Games so they are training here with the armies of Indra. It seems both the mist-boy and the spear-boy are eager to participate.*

*All of them have been with Indra and not a single mission was given to any of them since the conference with the ' _Celts_ '. So I can guarantee you that whatever happened isn't related to them.* - Shiva explained the situation to Azazel.

Azazel was surprised by the fact that all three Longinus were really with Indra, he was just wildly guessing!

"Okay, then those three are discarded if you say that Shiva. I have no reason not to believe in you." - Azazel told the God of Destruction.

Shiva only smirked and cut communication.

The God was thinking to himself - (It seems you unconsciously did a mess, Sekiryuutei-boy. No, rather than that, Dragon-boy. When we meet, it will certainly be entertaining. We have some things to talk about.)

Back with Azazel.

(Damn! So that's ' _True Longinus'_ , _'Annihilation Maker'_ and _'Dimension Lost_ ' out of the equation. Damn it! Each time less and less!) - Azazel was mentally screaming, he slumped back into the chair of his lab and rested for a bit.

"That's eight Longinus out..." - Azazel was tired, not even an hour has passed since he started his mission but he already felt so tired.

"Next will be Ajuka, maybe the two missing Longinus are connected to this!" - Getting an epiphany, Azazel stood up from his chair. Since neither of those Longinus have been discovered there was a high probability that they were related to this mess!

Ajuka was the one that knew the most of them, after all, he was scouting for both since quite some time ago.

Using his circle once again, this time in sound-only, Azazel patiently waited until someone he didn't recognize answered the call.

"Ajuka-sama's personal circle, what's the problem?"

(A secretary?) - Azazel thought while he spoke to the secretary.

"It's Azazel, I have something to discuss personally with Ajuka."

"Sorry but right now he's busy please wait for him to—"

While cutting her off Azazel spoke. - "Tell him right now that if he doesn't answer, his ' _game_ ' will no longer be playable!" - Azazel told the secretary with a cold voice, scaring her.

Moments in silence passed and soon a voice was heard from the circle.

"Azazel, what happened?" - Ajuka finally answered his call.

"About that, it all started an hour ago..."

After explaining the situation Ajuka immediatly answered.

"It's not related to neither ' _Telos Karma_ ' nor ' _Innovate Clear_ ' I give you my word!" - Ajuka answered directly.

"How are you so sure?" - Azazel asked, he didn't want to leave any stone unturned.

"Because both of the Longinus have been watched by either my Peerage or by me since the sealing of the Beast. Nothing has happened to either of them so it's impossible for the cause to be from them."

"Shit!" - Azazel screamed. Ajuka could understand why he was so frustrated, if they didn't find the cause of this then problems will appear.

"Ajuka! Where's Sirzechs!?"

"You're lucky, he's at my side. We were at a meeting but that can wait, he already knows about what you told me. Of course, only the Four Maou know." - He was reassuring Azazel who only gave a nod in gratitude.

"Azazel." - Another voice came from the circle. - "Sairaorg and his Longinus, Regulus, have been in the Underworld since more than a Month ago. They have been training relentlessly, both him and his Peerage. Yesterday we talked and by what I saw he looked the same as always." - Sirzechs told him what he knew.

Azazel trusted the judgement of his friend, so he didn't ask more questions.

"Fuck! Then who's left?!" - Azazel screamed for all to hear, his sentence silenced everyone.

"Why not ask Hyoudou Issei?" - Ajuka proposed with a questioning tone.

(Issei? That's impossible, he's with the girls... How could something like this would be because of him?) - Azazel refused this thought.

However, the voice of the Maou were once again heard.

"You already tried with everyone, he should be the last we know of. Maybe it's just an error with the System, but better be sure." - Those comments were logical, making the Former Governor re-think his decisions.

"...Fine, I'll contact him. But I doubt he's the cause!" - Azazel gave up, now was the time to try everything in his sleeve.

"I'll tell you once I'm done." - He cut the communication and activated his circle again.

Time flew, but his circle still blinked with a bright light.

"Come on Issei, pick up..." - Azazel didn't want Issei to be related to this mess.

The circle continued its flashing, but nothing was happening. The light of the circle then died down. The communication with the other side couldn't be established!

This only meant two things; he was either dead, or a change in his natural aura and magic reserves happened.

"Oh, come on!"

The death of Issei was not possible, so that left him with the change in his natural aura.

He gave up his communication and started to think.

(What could have happened... Something this big wouldn't be unnoticed, if he did experience a change then he would have conta—)

Widening his eyes Azazel remembered something. - "The messages! - He now had an idea.

Grabbing his magic circle with his right hand, he sent a pulse of aura for the messages to be read out loud.

*You have 23 unread messages.* - A robotic voice made Azazel smirk, he pre-programmed this to be more efficient.

*16 messages from Hyoudou Issei, 4 messages from—* - The voice continued but Azazel only heard the number of messages Issei left and screamed at the robotic voice.

"Play messages from Hyoudou Issei!" - Azazel was now standing upright, waiting for the messages to be played.

* _Beeeep!_ *

" _Azazel-sensei... recently... things haven't been going well... I am not doing well, please contact me as soon as you can..."_

* _Beeeep!_ *

" _Sensei... these things keep hurting me I can't take them off me... I have been doing bad, the girls... they just aren't the same... please sensei, I need help."_

The voice of Issei made Azazel bite his tongue.

* _Beeeep!_ *

" _Sensei... I do not know what to do, they just keep hurting me, every. single. time I remember... these Pieces are trying to kill me... sensei, is it okay if I live?"_

Azazel didn't know what to do, he was just frozen, stuck with only hearing.

* _Beeeep!_ *

" _Sensei... no... Azazel... The Pieces are trying to kill me! Just how is that possible?! They were supposed to help me! To save me! But now they are trying to end me, every single moment of the day, they want my lifeee!"_

* _Beeeep!_ *

" _Azazel, maybe I should listen to them... to the Pieces... they want my life, maybe I should give it to them? It's not like anyone would miss me..._ "

Now being on Issei's ninth message, Azazel just stood there. Both of his hands were curled into fists so tight that they bled.

* _Beeeep!_ *

" _HaHaHaHaHaHa! Azazel they are still there! They do not leave! Just like my nightmares, just like my nighterrors! They don't leave me aloneeee!"_

* _Beeeep!_ *

" _Azazel... I think I should give up... I tried everything... I tried everyone... yet... every single time, it just doesn't work... I contacted everyone; Sirzechs, Ajuka, Grayfia, the rest of the girls, you, but no one answered... When I try to talk they all ignore me, they scorn me, they insult me... Yo know Azazel? I figured that everyone always told me lies... everything was a lie, all have left me so I should do the same. This is the goodbye my former sensei, because I believe that after this, I will no longer be in the world of the living..."_

* _All messages from Hyoudou Issei played._ *

Azazel grabbed the edges of his desk, his knuckles turning white.

* _Craaaccckk!_ *

The edges of the desk shattered, wooden splinters flew everywhere. He subconsciously released his aura making the entire Building tremble.

"Isseeiii! What happened?! What made you like this?!"

"JUST. WHAT. HAPPENEEEDD!?"

The scream of Azazel was heard in the entire of Grigori, it made everyone stop in their tracks!

* * *

.

Vali who was training muttered. - "...Albion..." - He was shocked by the scream he heard from Azazel.

{It seems something happened.} - Vali limited himself only to nodding.

On the upstairs floor, Tobio also stopped his training

"Azazel-san?! What happened?!" - Differently from the Hakuryuuko Tobio was much more surprised, he had never heard the Former Governor scream with so much grief, anger and pain.

"Jin, it seems something terrible happened..."

The black dog at his side just looked at the ceiling, maybe he was seeing first hand the scene just now.

On a meeting room, the Cadres were having their usual weekly meeting, but soon they were stopped when they heard the scream of their friend and former Boss.

"Azazel?!" - Penemue screamed at the top of her lungs.

"That kind of scream..." - Baraqiel added, he hadn't heard that type of scream in a long time.

"We haven't heard that kind of scream, since the Great War." - Shemhazai commented.

"It seems something went terribly wrong and caused irreparable damage..."

They hadn't heard something like that since more than a third of their forces went down by the combined efforts of some Ultimate-Class Devils that laid a trap during the Great War.

Every Fallen in Grigori was surprised, yet scared. That scream was filled with negative emotions to the point that it appeared like a volcano just erupted!

"We should check on him!" - Back at the meeting room Penemue said while getting nods from everyone inside.

They made a magic circle, their destination Azazel's room.

Soon they all vanished, every Cadre at Grigori went towards their former leader.

A flash of light was seen inside the Laboratory of Azazel.

The place was made a mess, cracks filled every single location. His blueprints, maps and everything else he worked at was scorched because of the light a figure released in the center of the room.

The figure was on his knees, his bangs covered his eyes and generally his face, but the aura he irradiated was too big for anyone to get closer.

"Azazel!" - Shemhazai looked at his friend and screamed at him. He never thought something that bad happened to his comrade and friend for him to end like that!

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" - Azazel screamed time and time again.

Soon the entire room was filled with an aura that made everything be _vaporized_.

That degree of light surpassed every limit they knew, no one could release a light that was that... _malicious_.

"Azazel snap back! Like that you won't solve anything and may even cause a great conflict!"

Hearing the words of Baraqiel, Azazel widened his eyes and stopped his aura, he stood up and just stayed there not moving.

A hand was on his chin he seemed he was meditating on something.

"I need more information! Why was he like that? What caused his reactions? What is that thing about the Pieces? Is it about the Evil Pieces? I need to go back to his place!" - Azazel concluded while he regained his normal atmosphere, that made everyone feel better.

"Azazel what happened?" - Shemhazai asked.

"I'll tell you when I get more information!"

With that he activated a transportation circle, his destination the Hyoudou Mansion.

A flash of yellow light blinded everyone in the room.

When they opened their eyes again, he was no longer here.

"The only thing we can do is to wait. When he comes back he will explain everything." - Shemhazai noticed and soon every Cadre inside the Laboratory disappeared.

* * *

.

Azazel appeared at the entrance of the Hyoudou Mansion.

"Well, it's been a while." - Azazel approached the door and opened it, it seemed someone left it open.

(Issei, where are you?) - Calmly walking in, he thought of various possible answers.

"The training field, either of the two. Next should be his room, after that... maybe the ORC?" - He mentioned his options and soon walked over to the elevator.

He went inside and pushed the button that sent him to the first underground floor.

After a short trip, the door opened up but to his surprise, no one was there. And by the looks of it, no one has used the field in a long time.

(...Weird, even if Issei wasn't here someone else would. It's saturday in the early morning perfect time for training, it seems something did go wrong.)

Azazel turned around, he had nothing to do on a desertic training field. He walked towards the elevator and walked inside it, it appeared the door hadn't closed since he left.

Inside it, he went down a floor hoping for something to change.

"...Nothing again."

Seeing the second training field desolated, Azazel was becoming more suspicious. He took a look around and discovered that this field was at least used in the past couple of days.

(The messages are rather old, the newest one is more than a week old. This leaves two options; Issei was here recently, or someone else was.) - He wanted to look around more but he needed to find Issei.

Reaching the elevator door he turned around a last time, seeing the desertic training field made him sigh with tiredness.

He pushed the button and the door closed, his next destination was the third floor above ground. This location was where all rooms were at, and luckily for him, were Issei's room was in.

Walking in the third floor's hallway, he looked from one side to the other, noticing how no one was inside the rooms.

"...Weird, really weird..." - Suspicions growing, Azazel reached Issei's room.

He walked inwards, but nothing was out of the ordinary. Everything was in place, not a single piece in the wrong position.

"Okay, what the fuck happened!?" - He could no longer tolerate it anymore, what was wrong with the house?!

"First, I haven't seen anyone inside the Mansion. Second, the first training field hasn't been used in some time, while the other just recently." - While walking around the room, Azazel made his deductions.

"And Third, this room is so clean that seems as if no one has been here since, forever?! Even the smell inside this room is rather mossy!"

Azazel sat on the bed of Issei, but something at the side of the bed piqued his interest.

Right at the side of the bed where the desk was located at, a wooden box was perfectly centered on top of it.

He stood up and walked closer.

The box was simple, it looked like nothing in particular. But as soon as he grabbed and lifted it up, he dropped it.

"Fucckk!" - He yelled.

Falling, the box hit the desk with a loud noise.

Aside from that, something on the desk fell and soon a small, a rather familiar device was found by Azazel on top of the desk.

"That's... a recorder?" - He grabbed the recorder and quickly noticed how someone videotaped something.

"Maybe this has to do with Issei... Boy, what happened to you? Why suddenly you're so full of mysteries?" - Azazel pocketed the recorder and looked at the wooden box again.

(Whatever is inside, just touching it made me feel exhausted, I even felt my Life Force leaving my body! What's inside the box?)

He never took his eye out from the box, soon he decided to try his luck.

"Lets try this again."

He reached towards the box on the floor and with a single hand, he lifted it up. As soon as he touched it, he felt the same as before.

He opened the wooden lid, but what was inside it made him take various steps back. Sweat filled his face which also looked even more pale.

"Impossible?! How?! How are _those_ there?!"

Inside the box, were Issei's Evil Pieces...

"Wait! The messages, they made a reference to the Pieces!" - He widened his eyes.

"And that disgusting and hungry aura, something went wrong with them!" - He quickly joined the dots together, not for anything was he called one of the smartest supernatural beings alive.

"I need to contact the Underworld, these Pieces and the recorder need to be seen by everyone!"

Azazel made a magic circle, the kind he used only during emergencies.

He took the box with his right hand, ignoring the hideous sensation from it. Patting his left coat pocket, he felt the recorder inside.

Nodding his head, he disappeared inside the circle.

* * *

.

A big room with white pillars and walls was where he now stood.

"""""Azazel?!""""" - The four Maou and a Maid screamed at the newly present guest.

"Azazel leave, right now we are—"

"Shut up!" - Azazel said in a calm, chilly voice that startled everyone.

"I have no time for your bullshit Sirzechs! Right now we have a problem. A reeaally big, problem!"

"Here!" - He threw the two things he had at the Maid and the green-haired Maou.

One was the recorder, the second one was the box.

As soon as the maid received the recorder Azazel told her.

"Play it for everyone to see, I myself still hasn't seen it!"

The maid, at the severe words of the Fallen, nodded her head. At the moment the maid started to work on it Azazel called once again.

"And you!" - He pointed at the green-haired. "Look inside the box and answer the questions I have!" - Azazel ordered, leaving all dumbstruck.

"Azazel-sama, the recorder is ready for being played." - The maid politely interrupted.

"Good, but we'll see it after he opens the box and answers my questions!" - Azazel drilled holes with his eyes at the Maou.

Ajuka opened the box and was so surprised, he let it fall on the table. It's contents spread all over the table for them to see.

"...Evil Pieces?" - Was the comment of Sirzechs.

He then grabbed the Piece in front of him, but as he touched it he felt his Life Force leaving his body at an alarming rate, so took his hand back in an instant.

"Azazel! Where did you find these?!" - Sirzechs was astonished by the effect the little Piece had on _him_ of all present.

He couldn't answer since a light flooded the entire room and another magic circle made its appearance.

From the circle, a man and a woman came from it. Michael and Gabriel.

"Sirzechs there's a problem with the Syst—" - He stopped mid-speech when he saw the rest of the people inside.

"Okay. Good timing, you two will need to hear this as well." - Azazel ignored them both and asked for them to sit.

"They already know about the System, Michael." - He told the Angel, the mentioned one only nodded his head.

"I also found the cause of the ' _Bug_ ' of the System, the Longinus who caused all of this." - _This_ caught their interest.

"...It was the Boosted Gear."

The bomb was dropped and everyone widened their eyes.

"Now, I need to tell you, those things!" - He pointed to the Pieces on the hands on Ajuka. - "Were Issei's Pawn Pieces! I found them in his room with the recorder."

"Now Ajuka, I need you to answer my questions. First, what happened to them?" - Azazel lifted a single finger up. - "Second, what would the result be if they were inside the body of Ise?" - He lifted the second finger.

"These questions should do the trick, later on I'll ask more."

Ajuka grabbed the Pieces and started to look through them, meanwhile the rest of the present got over their shock and screamed at Azazel, rather, two people did.

""What do you mean those are Ise's Pieces!?"" - The maid and her husband shouted at the same time, worry and panic on their voices.

"I know, since I found them in his room and they have traces of his aura!" - He explained once again for them and the rest to understand.

"I was going to visit Ise after the last moment we saw each other, but he didn't answer the magic circle." - He began his explanation.

"Thinking that he was busy, I distracted myself. Then I remembered that I installed a voicemail in my own circle and looked through the messages. The majority were of Issei, and they started like this."

Azazel leaned himself against a wall and soon activated the robotic voice from his mail for all to hear.

Ajuka was still doing his analysis. Many magic circles, spinning like a gyroscope were surrounding him in all directions, but no one paid attention to him.

* _Beeeep!_ *

" _Sensei.. these things keep hurting me I can't take them off me... I have been doing terrible, the girls... everything isn't the same... please sensei, I need help."_

They all heard his voice.

It was filled with so much helplessness, anxiety, dread... That wasn't the Ise they all knew.

"I have fifteen more messages, each worse than the last! This was the final one, I received it more than a week ago." - He told them.

* _Beeeep!_ *

"... _Azazel...I...think I should give up...I tried everything... I tried everyone... yet, every single time it just doesn't work... I contacted everyone; Sirzechs, Ajuka, Grayfia, the rest of the girls, you...no one answered...when I try to talk they ignore me, they scorn me, the insult me...You know Azazel? I figured that everyone always told me lies...everything was a lie... all have left me so I should do the same... this is the goodbye my former sensei because I believe that after this, I will no longer be in the world of the living..."_

He saw how the faces of everyone, including Ajuka, turned as white as paper.

The worst response was from Sirzechs and Grayfia, they looked like their souls were drained from their bodies. One could see tears forming on the eyes of Grayfia and trembling on the Maou's shoulders and arms.

"After that, I went to Ise's house. But I found nothing, not a single clue aside from the box and the recorder." - All of the present turn their heads around and looked at the Pieces floating on Ajuka's hands.

"The recorder and the answers we get from those Pieces are our last hope of ever knowing what happened to Ise. And ...if he's still alive."

* _BOOOOOMMMM!_ *

A sickening crimson tide of energy erupted from Sirzechs. And at that moment, everyone kept their distance from him.

Everything his aura touched was destroyed to a _molecular_ level, like it wasn't there on the first place. The table, the chairs, the floor, the enchantments on the hall, even _space_ itself _distorted_.

His shoulders were visibly trembling and his face couldn't be seen, it was covered by his red hair that flared up with black flames.

The sound of blood dripping to the ground was the only thing that could be heard. Sirzechs clenched his fists so hard his nails digged into his skin while the veins on the reverse of his palm broke because of the strength, tainting his entire hand with his own blood.

His skin started to peel back from that same arm, dropping to the ground with a nauseating squelch. Underneath it, was a putrid, tangled, black mess of _something_ that took the shape of an arm.

Seeing that caused almost everyone to prepare their best defensive spells, they knew that color, that _form_.

But before long the aura retreated and everything went back to normal. Sirzechs was still standing in his former location, now being a perfectly circular crater of considerable depth.

He stood there, unmoving, his shoulders still trembling.

Everyone released a breath they didn't know they were holding. Thankfully they dodged that bullet, if Sirzechs unleashed his ' _True_ _Form_ ' then forget about the Capitol Castle, half of Lucifaad would be gone.

But it seemed that they tempted fate...

* _FOOOOSSSHHH!_ *

The room decreased in temperature, reaching an almost _absolute zero._

A thick white mist embraced all the people inside the room. Trapping them. Ensnaring them. As if ensuring that they would never leave its grasp, perpetually trapped as they experienced an agonizing death.

The walls were covered by layer upon layer of clear white ice that reflected the poor lighting of the room.

All locations inside the room were frozen over and after another small pulse of that aura, everything cracked. The chandeliers on the ceiling fell and turned into dust _before_ they touched the ground. The paint on the walls and everything on them _peeled_ off and became powder as it fell to the floor.

The breaths of all present became visible and a hair-raising, cold chill, slowly—almost as if enjoying it, crept up everyone's spines.

At that second, they all activated some kind of spell to protect themselves. That kind of ice wanted only to extinguish the small ember of life that all creatures possessed, its sole purpose was to _eradicate_ all the life it could.

Grayfia had hollowed eyes, nothing could be seen in them, almost as if she was a machine without purpose.

A smooth white aura covered her skin, giving her the image of a frozen beauty. Like statue of ice that could be seen but not touched. That aura froze the air around her, forming mist and snow inside the room.

She was trembling while tears fell from her eyes.

But after some minutes, the aura dissipated and she fell on her knees, crying her heart out.

The heart-wrenching screeches of a broken woman that just seemingly lost one of the most important people of her life filled the room.

Hearing the screams, her husband ran from the place he was at and hugged her with all of his strength.

Feeling her husband's warmth she immediately clung to him like a life line, she cried even more once she was in his embrace.

Both were hugging each other. Sirzechs still not recovered, blood was still falling from his hands as he clawed his other arm in a futile effort of trying to calm himself down. His eyes were bloodshot, probably because of his will to not breakdown due to everything he heard about Ise.

He would have never expected something like this to happen. Both, Grayfia and him, loved Ise as if he was their own little brother, so hearing those words from him literally broke them.

Time passed and soon they more or less recovered, just enough to have a clear mind.

Sirzechs hands stopped bleeding while Grayfia stood up, her eyes were red from all the crying.

"Lets continue. We need to know what happened." - Sirzechs told the rest of them who only nodded.

"Ajuka, what was the result from the analysis of the Pieces?" - Azazel asked the green-haired Maou.

"About that... Nothing good..." - Dispirited, the Maou answered.

"Explain." - While raising an eyebrow Azazel came closer to all six of them.

Until now the Angels hadn't spoken, but the look in Michael's eyes filled with an absurd amount of regret and guilt for not helping Ise in such an important moment, was visible for all to see.

Gabriel was crying without a sound, such words were clearly a big hit for her.

Never, not even during the Great War had she felt so many negative emotions at the same time.

Just the words she heard from him were enough to make her cry. Clearly, Ise experimented something _no one_ should.

"It seems the Pieces were corrupted." - Ajuka spoke loudly for all to hear.

"Let me explain, after that, ask away." - He knew they had questions.

"It appeared that the Pieces malfunctioned in the beginning, not letting Hyoudou Issei use them at all, not even for the slightest of things. But after a specific moment a rather _familiar_ code corrupted them even further, to the point that at the mention of something he loved or cared about would make his body react to those feelings in a horrendously bad way. And if it continued, then the Pieces would have—"

"Would have what!?" - Grayfia interrupted him with a loud voice, demanding answers.

"Haaa..." - Ajuka felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

"The Pieces would have literally absorbed all the Life Force his body had, slowly killing him with the greatest pain imaginable. In the best case he would have ended like a mummy. In the worst, he would have no body left, he would have turned into dust and that would have crumpled at the softest touch."

At those words Grayfia fainted, she fell into the arms of her husband.

Azazel was shaking while both arms crossed on his chest, gripping his forearms with all he could. - (You went through that much Ise?!)

Serafall and Gabriel were close to each other, their own hands on their mouths not believing what they heard. Tears formed on their eyes and fell noiselessly. Such a kind boy having to go through all of that, it made their hearts break.

Falbium wasn't sleeping, instead his eyes widened. Although he did not know the Sekiryuutei first hand, he knew he was a great guy. For something that horrible to have happened to him, he didn't know how to react.

Michael was like Sirzechs, gripping his fists while a huge amount of regret filled him. He had helped all of Heaven that much, yet when he needed help they had all ignored him!

He knew that pretty much everyone felt terrible. If just once would they have looked into their magic circles! If they just once would have answered a call from him! Then, nothing like this would have happened!

Azazel, after some time, spoke up

"You said a rather familiar code, what do you mean?"

The question made everyone look at the green-haired scientist, even Grayfia that was awoken by the Crimson Maou.

"Remember the incident that was caused by my relative?" - All nodded their heads, they didn't understand why he was asking that. But Azazel soon widened his eyes and almost tripped at the realization.

"It seems you figured it out. At that moment Hyoudou Issei entered a mode that turned him into a monster..." - At the mention of those words the rest widened their eyes.

"The Juggernaut Drive. It appears that the code just like a virus, defended itself against the attack of the Pieces and managed to instead breach their defenses, corrupting them." - He told them.

"The result was eight corrupted Evil Pieces which sole goal was to kill Hyoudou Issei with everything they had at their disposal. And the best way to do that was through the emotions that filled him with power, they turned all those emotions and feelings into fuel for themselves to keep growing. And my guess is, that the Pieces would have killed him by the end of this Month."

Ajuka dropped the bomb and soon everyone had no expressions left on their faces, only visible emotions could be seen in their eyes.

Grayfia was filled with pain, soul breaking pain.

Michael had so much regret coming out of his person that it was a mystery how was he still sane.

Azazel had anger directed at himself, so much of it that an aura surrounded his body.

Sirzechs was filled with dread, his face was pale and one could see his legs all wobbly, his eyes were the same.

Both Serafall and Gabriel where crying, agony visible in their eyes, they were even hugging each other.

Falbium was biting his lips, discomfort written all over his face. And Ajuka was filled with bitterness, his head was even lowered in shame.

These emotions were stronger in Sirzechs, Azazel and Grayfia because they heard from Vali a long time ago that he felt the Juggernaut Drive of Issei! But they decided to ignore it and because of that, this happened!

If they decided to invest, even a little bit of their resources, or even a little bit of time on looking just to see if Issei was fine, just in case, then things today would be different!

Grayfia among the three of them was the worst, after all, it was her that dismissed the idea completely and even told her husband not to worry about it!

If she had been more cautious, then his little brother wouldn't have gone through so much!

(Ise, I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry! How can I call myself you sister after I ignored you like that at the most important moment?!) More and more tears came from her eyes.

"What about the recording? What does that have?" - Serafall asked while she cleaned the tears in her eyes.

The rest stopped their trains of thought and looked at the little disk with two buttons.

Soon, Grayfia ran towards it and grabbed it. She looked around to see everyone nodding, then she pushed the black button and an image apeared at the front of the disk for all to see.

* * *

.

* _Is this thing on?_ *

The voice and image of Issei was seen, no one dared to even breathe.

* _[Yes Partner. See the light, that's proof of it!]_ * - The voice of the Dragon was also heard.

 _*I see! Good! Thanks Ddraig.*_

 _*[No problem.]*_

Their voices were heard clearly.

* _Well, if someone found this then that means two things; either I died or you were looking for me and coincidentally found this._ *

The voice of Ise was empty and when he talked about his own life, they could see how he didn't care about it in the slightest.

 _*Whatever it is, doesn't matter. I'm leaving this because I'm about to do something dumb, and according to Ddraig the chances of success are so close to zero that they are basically zero! So this is a will, memory, suicide letter, name it as you like!*_

Everyone could see how bad he was.

He had messy, unclean, long hair and large, black eye bags underneath his dim yellow orbs. His eyes were dead, exactly the same as those of a corpse, they held no light. His body was so skinny that his skin was basically glued against his bones.

* _Right now me and Ddraig are about to do our plan named, Suicide Attempt!_ *

The name made the ones watching clutch their hearts on their chests. What kind of plan was it that it deserved such a name?!

* _It's simple, really. I'm about to remove the Evil Pieces from my body and hopefully, not die.*_ \- Those words made the eyes of all turn into saucers, no wonder it was named like that!

* _Now the climax, the reason I do this, is... because I have nothing left!*_

 _*During the past couple of Months everyone left me behind, only a few people had the decency to at least say goodbye to me. Everyone I held dear vanished, as if they all had found something else, and unknowingly, it indeed was like that!_ _*_

The people inside the room froze, Sirzechs, Grayfia, Azazel and Michael were the most affected ones. They knew that Issei was talking about them, but it seemed as if he was talking about something else.

 _*At that moment—in a single day, I discovered how I was dismissed and ignored by everyone, by everything. I was broken, mentally and physically. And at that moment, I activated the Juggernaut Drive out of pure negative emotions, but the last shred of sanity I had stopped me from fully activating it.*_

* _Since the Juggernaut was stopped, then I should had become better. Wrong! Everything just became shit!*_

 _*At that moment the Evil Pieces inside my body were further corrupted and they became eight malicious spots which devoured my body and Life Force constantly. I named those eight spots Corruption, but if you think that was the worst, think again! *_ \- Ise kept throwing jabs at everyone.

* _Because of the same Piece of Shit Pieces I could no longer sleep, every time I slept, I dreamed of them spitting behind my back... I had Nightmares, horrible... nightmares..._ *

This recording made all the people watching it feel terrible, they wanted all of this to stop, but it appeared no one answered their prayers.

* _After the nightmares, I thought everything would stop... wrong again!*_

 _*The nightmares became nighterrors in which I vividly experienced how you all insulted, scorned, hit and abused me. And the girls, were just watching, laughing at me! Especially them! They did many other things in front of me... So, so, many to the point that I just broke.*_

At those words, everyone felt so dizzy that they couldn't analyze everything perfectly. And due to that they were unable to completely understand what he meant with that.

As soon as they regained their bearing they tried to calm themselves down, but then they looked at the eyes of Ise and all their efforts went down the drain.

They all felt goosebumps on their skin, their faces paled and their hairs stood on end.

Those eyes... they will never forget them.

His eyes were grim, dreadful, distressing, miserable.

As if all light was lost. As if every reason one had left to live was gone. As if every trace of sanity just evaporated.

They knew he had hit rock bottom.

* _So I gave up on sleeping. Many days went by and I still haven't experienced a good night of sleep... Yet the worse hadn't come!*_

All of them internally begged Issei to stop.

He lifted his shirt and what they saw made everyone inhale a cold breath of air.

* _These things became more... violent.*_

On his chest three disgusting, swirling, pulsing black spots could be seen. Seeing them made everyone swallow their spit loudly, even some held back their desire to throw up.

* _These are the locations were the Pawn Pieces are, and are the positions in which I feel the most pain.*_

 _*But after this no longer! Even if I die trying, I will get all of these horrible things out of me!*_ \- Issei told them and for the first time energy filled his tone.

* _That's why I decided to do this. I literally have nothing left to lose. So to whoever is seeing this, I hope you could make this our little secret. Lets say that if words get out, then... many things will happen.*_

The recording finished and silence filled the room.

They were surprised, just how much did he had to suffer?

* * *

.

"Everyone, I know there's a lot to digest but everything we saw today will be kept among us." - Azazel was the first to speak, he was appalled by everything but had the force of will to continue.

"Plus, Issei is still alive" - Azazel stated, confidence in his tone.

"How do you know that?" - Serafall asked him.

"Well, the Pieces couldn't have flown back from his body, accommodated themselves on a wooden box and coincidentally placed themselves on Ise's desk, could they?"

"He survived his so called Suicide Attempt, came back, I don't know why, and left the Pieces." - Azazel acted as a leader for once and motivated everyone.

The women regained the light in their eyes, especially Grayfia. The men were pretty much the same.

"The question is, where is he?" - While rubbing his chin the Fallen asked, this little push made everyone get their energy back.

"True, we need to find him! There are many things we need to tell him and even if it's not worth anything we should at the very least apologize!" - Sirzechs said to everyone. Now they had a goal and they needed to accomplish it.

"What should we tell Rias and the rest?" - Grayfia asked.

"Indeed, we all are accomplices of this. But there's not much information about what they did, and Issei's recording doesn't tell us much. Just that we _all_ made him do it. The best we could do is find information and complete this puzzle, many things just don't make sense..." - Ajuka told them.

"Yes, many things don't make sense. Why did he exactly activated the Drive for? What forced him to those extremes? What are those nightmares he spoke of? Those things that happened, that caused him so much grief?" - Michael replied, also confused about all of this.

"The words of Ise were too cryptic, too general. Seems like we need to do our own research about this." - Sirzechs closed his eyes as he said this.

"Anyway, we should tell them that Issei left but we shouldn't tell them the reason, or at least what we know of it." - Azazel proposed.

"They need to learn from their mistakes and in a way pay for it, but I believe that if we make them see _this." -_ He pointed at the recorder. _\- "_ It will break them." - Grayfia agreed with their plan.

All of them still had questions about the why Issei did this, but one thing was clear. It was, in a way, related to the girls.

Although they needed more information about the true reason, now they had some clues. And they all agreed that they didn't want to watch that recording again, too much for them. But, due to that, some details slipped their minds.

However, they didn't know about that. Right now they needed to investigate more deeply into this, and now they could only wildly guess.

"I see. So we'll tell them Issei is gone and that we do not know the motive of his decision, then by their own thoughts they will, in a certain sense, think it's their fault." - Ajuka explained the rest only nodded.

"Better that way, once we find Issei we will talk to him about a lot of things!" - Grayfia regained her former appearance, she wanted to talk to Ise and clarify things.

The rest only rested on whatever chairs were left and started to digest the information they gained, it was not pretty but they needed to do it.

Soon, silence filled the room and no one spoke for a looong time.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Hyoudou Mansion.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Right now was late in the afternoon and just about night time, and group of people reached the Hyoudou Mansion.

The group consisted of the ORC, Irina, Ravel and their boyfriends.

Seeing the huge building, Reiji asked - "What's that place?"

He was surprised, all his life he lived inside Kuoh yet this was the first time he had seen this building. The rest of the men accompanying them nodded their heads simultaneously.

"That's Issei's house." - Dismissing the subject, Xenovia answered the question.

The rest of the men became petrified not believing what they heard, soon they once again heard the voices of the girls.

"Hey don't stay there, we need to enter!" - Akeno screamed at them, the ORC was just at the door of the mansion, the men hurriedly ran over to them.

They ran past the gate that almost closed in on them.

A huge, thick wooden door was the only thing separating them from the inside of the building. In their eyes the building was enormous, maybe having 5 floors or more, it looked more like a apartment complex than a single house.

* _Knock-Knock!_ *

"Issei! We're here, please open up." - Rias knocked on the door while she raised her voice, trying to catch the attention of the owner of the building.

* _Knock-Knock-Knock!_ *

"Maybe he isn't home?" - Akeno said to Rias.

"How could that be? It's Friday in the afternoon almost night, he's probably training." - Rias didn't believe the words of her ' _Queen_ '.

Reaching the doorknob she turned it towards the right, the door moved and a - * _Click!_ * - was heard, the door opened afterwards.

"The door was left open. Maybe he's training and left it open just in case." - Rias believed her own words and stepped inside of the house.

Today, rather late in the morning, she left to gather the rest of the ORC and the boys.

They had to explain to their parents that they will not be at home very often, but with the help of a little bit of magic and the approval of the boys, they made it possible.

With Reiji they told his parents more or less the truth and because of that, much more time was spent. But in the end they agreed, getting a sigh of relief from both Rias and Akeno.

Walking in, everyone noticed how no one was at home, at least by the looks of it.

Then Koneko released her ears and tail and said. - "Ise-senpai isn't home."

This made the rest of the girls widen their eyes.

Kiba was a bit surprised as well but he was also happy. If he met the men beside him then he will raise hell, of that he was sure.

"He isn't home?!" - Rias raised her voice.

"Maybe he had things to do?" - Irina tilted her head cutely while she tried to explain.

The rest were suspicious, but they left those suspicions behind.

It's impossible for him to be away, maybe he was doing groceries or something like that; they all thought the same.

Their feelings were still unsettled, and the fact that Issei wasn't homemade them a bit paranoid.

"Okay, let's start the training!" - Rias told them, the men just swallowed their spit in anxiety.

"But before that, you need to know a bit more of the supernatural world. Throughout the next weeks, we'll slowly teach you the basics and a bit more of our world!" - Rias was talking proudly.

Then they went to the staircase since they were too many they didn't fit inside the elevator.

Going up a few floors, they reached a place that Issei visited a lot and practically slept inside; The Library of the Fifth Floor.

Opening the door, the men were impressed by the magnitude of the Library.

"Everyone we need some books!" - Rias declared.

"Asia go to the magic section and search for the very basis of magic. Koneko, look for a book in Sacred Gears, they should know a bit more about it. Xenovia go for a book that explains the basics of The Underworld, Heaven and Grigori. Although we'll explain everything to them, we might need another source of information." - Giving her orders, Rias told her Peerage.

The named ones replied with a - """Yes!""" - and went to get their tasks done.

"Okay while they are gone, I'll answer the questions you may have!" - While crossing her arms under her big bust, Rias turned towards the men present.

Akeno just smiled and stood at her side, ready for anything.

"I have a question Rias-san." - Ken raised his hand.

Everyone's eyes went towards him, making him sweat a little. After all, he wasn't a man of public speech or gathering of people.

Rias nodded her head, light shined in her eyes. It seemed that she was happy about being capable of teaching someone, something.

"We already know the basic hierarchy of power of the supernatural world, so I have to ask. How are the Underworld's, Heaven's and Grigori's—was it? Roughly divided?"

A very basic question that possessed no threat at all, Rias was about to answer when Akeno intervened.

"It should be better for me to explain Grigori's, after all, I'm half a Fallen Angel." - She unfurled her wings, being feathery and dark in color.

That took them by surprise.

They never thought that the woman in front of them would be a Half-Fallen.

They knew about Koneko, after all, Hijama told them. So they were not as surprised when they saw her ears and tail but it was different for the woman in front of them.

Those wings looked scary at least in Reiji's eyes, not that he would voice it out loud.

"But first, you should know what a Fallen Angel is!" - Her voice stopped their thoughts.

"Fallen Angels are Angels that have fallen from the grace of God due to having "impure thoughts" that divert them from the teachings of the God in the Bible. The leaders of Grigori were tempted by human women and had fallen after having sex with them. And despite being cast out of Heaven, Fallen Angels can still use the power of light." - Akeno explained seriously.

The men were shocked, they didn't know about that! Except for Reiji because of family circumstances.

"Grigori is an organization created by Azazel and the Fallen Angels who fell with him; they were also called ' _The Watchers of the Children of God_ ', in other words, the looked after the Sacred Gear possessors." - Her voice echoed all over the Library.

"Grigori invites or takes in possessors of Sacred Gears that have no family and are left all alone. They look after these Sacred Gear possessors while training them on how to use their powers, turning them into experienced possessors to remain within the organization."

She roughly gave an explanation of Grigori, the men felt their Horizons broaden, at least they weren't that ignorant about it.

"The leaders of Grigori are Azazel, Shemhazai, Baraqiel, Kokabiel, Armaros, Sahariel, Penemue, and Tamiel. And they are known as Cadre, having the strength above Ultimate-Class and hereby being the leaders of the organization." - Akeno finished her explanation and hid her wings.

The men tried to digest the new information they gained and just stood there, some even closed their eyes.

After some time passed, someone asked

"How about Heaven?" - Ryutaro was the one who asked.

Irina replied as fast as she could. - "Me! Me! Since I'm part of Heaven I should answer!~"

She was extremely excited and energetic, little lights could be seen in her eyes. Then she showed her wings something—that aside of her boyfriend, surprised everyone.

"A r-real A-Angel?!" - Hijama asked, his mouth completely open.

That scene caused a pair of giggles from Koneko and Ravel.

"Pfft! A self-proclaim one, she's a reincarnated Angel. Similar to the Peerage System the Angels have one as well based on cards, called ' _Brave Saints_ '" - Xenovia laughed at Irina and explained to them.

The boyfriends thought that was highly likely, after all, if the Devils could transform any other race into their own, why the rest could not?

"Let me continue!" - While puffing her cheeks Irina scolded Xenovia, who just smirked.

"The Angels are powerful beings who serve the Biblical God, and have the powers to inflict pain upon Devils and by extension the Fallen Angels due to their light-based powers~"

"They live in Heaven which is divided into seven layers, or as they called them, the Seven Heavens~. Our leaders are the Seraphs and they are Angels who are guardians of the Throne of Heaven. The members of the Seraphs are the Archangel Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel who were titled the ' _Four Great Seraphs~_ '" - Irina synthesized what Heaven was and their Angels.

Then Ravel stood up from the chair she was sitting on, and by the surprise of Rias, she explained about the Underworld.

"The Underworld is roughly the same size as the Human world, but with a much larger landmass, as there are no oceans and just lakes. It was once ruled by the '72 Pillars' of the Judeo/Christian religion but after the Great War, over half of them became extinct. Right now it's ruled by the 'Four Great Satans' titled 'Lucifer, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus'. Because after the Great War the original ones died, new candidates were chosen to possess those titles and rule the Underworld." - Ravel finished her extremely concrete explanation.

The men were happy, now they knew about the world a bit better.

"If you wish to know more then come here and learn from the books, it would be better for you that way." - Rias finally talked, a sigh escaped her mouth, making Akeno at her side giggle.

"Any last Questions before we go down to start the training?" - She asked at them but only one of them raised his hand. Nodding her head he signalled him to talk.

"In the past, you mentioned the strongest battle-oriented Sacred Gears. What exactly are they and what can they do?" - Souji asked curiosity filled his voice, he seemed really interested in that subject.

Rias was about to speak when Kiba pronounced.

"May I? I have a Sacred Gear and I have met the majority of the Longinus wielders so I should be the best one to answer the question." - Kiba proposed to his master, getting only a tired nod from her.

"Thank You." - He bowed to his master.

"The strongest battle-oriented Sacred Gears are called the Longinus, you already know that they are capable of killing a God and that they are thirteen of them, so I'll skip that part." - Kiba stood in front of them and calmly explained.

His aura was similar to that of a teacher, and to the men hearing his ' _lecture_ ', he seemed quite knowledgeable and good at explaining.

"You should know that the name ' _Longinus_ ' was derived after the first created Sacred Gear and that is named True Longinus the spear that killed the son of the ' _God of the Bible_ ', the first and most powerful. And unlike other Sacred Gears—that have more than one of the same type, the Longinus are utterly and completely unique, and only one of each may exist at a time. They essentially combine powerful abilities that aren't supposed to be combined!" - Kiba began his explanation, he learned all of this from Azazel-sensei.

The rest of the present paid attention to him.

"I'll tell you their names, abilities and the current possessors, but after this no more questions we need to start the training!" - They just nodded.

"The True Longinus is also known as the Holy Spear and one of the three Holy Relics. It's currently wielded by Cao Cao, the hero who descended from the man recorded in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It's a spear capable of destroying anything it touches and capable of controlling light!" - The men were surprised and were about to ask

"No Questions! If you wish to know more, then come here after training and learn!" - Kiba scolded them for almost breaking their promise.

Seeing them turn silent Kiba continued his explanation.

"Next is the Zenith Tempest ' _The Prison of Bright Heavenly Thunder_ ' a Longinus capable of controlling the weather and manipulating its elements. It's currently wielded by Dulio Gesualdo, the ' _Trump Card of Heaven_ ' and the strongest exorcist!" - Kiba took a breath and continued his explaining.

"Then it's the Dimension Lost or ' _Fog of Extinction_ ', it's capable of blocking all attacks with its mist and transport anything inside the mist to any location the user wishes. It's wielded by Georg Faust, also a descendant of the one with the same name."

They didn't understand who this ' _Georg_ _Faust'_ was, but after training they decided to come back here at the library.

"After that its the Annihilation Maker or ' _Creator of the Demonic Beast_ '. A Sacred Gear that's capable of creating any creature that the possessor can imagine. It's wielded by a boy named Leonardo."

Kiba was starting to laugh at them, that due to seeing their faces. They never thought a Longinus would be that broken.

"With that, we get to the Mid-Tier Longinus." - Kiba forcefully stopped his laugh and looked at them to see if they were paying attention.

"Good." - He noticed that they were really paying attention.

"The Boosted Gear or the ' _Red Dragons Emperor's Gauntlet_ ', it has the ability to double without limit the user's capabilities and transferring power to anyone or anything. You already know who is the wielder."

The smirk on Kiba's face made the rest of them gulp. Never would they have thought that Hyoudou Issei would have something that dangerous!

"The Divine Dividing or ' _The White Dragon Emperor's Light Wings_ ', it has the ability to halve the power of anything or anyone, which is then added to the user. The current wielder is a demon/human hybrid named Vali." - Not saying the last name on purpose—because of obvious reasons, Kiba talked about the Longinus' he knew more about.

"Regulus Nemea, ' _The Battle Axe of the Lion King_ ' an axe that its capable of splitting the earth with a single swing, now it manifests as a huge 3-meter tall lion, it also has the spirit of the ' _Nemean Lion_ ' of Greek Myths. It's wielded by Sairaorg Bael, a Devil from the 72 pillars."

Wishing to ask more about that, they stopped themselves, they knew that it would be a bad idea.

Seeing this, Kiba nodded and continued his explanation

"The Canis Lykaon or ' _Dog God of the Black Blade_ ', a Longinus that takes the form of a big, black dog. It's capable of manipulating shadows, create and manipulate many curses and creating cursed blades that could kill just by looking. It's wielded by Ikuse Tobio, a human who is part of Grigori." - Managing to take a breath he let the information sink in, soon he continued

"Then is the Sephiroth Graal. Have you heard of the Holy Grail?"

The men nodded at the question, after all, it was really famous.

"Well the Longinus is the Grail itself, it's capable of bringing the dead back to life and restore any and every injury no matter how bad it is! It's currently wielded by Valerie Tepes, a Vampire/Human hybrid and another of the Three Sacred Relics."

They were surprised, so the Holy Grail was real!

"Incinerate Anthem or ' _The Crucified Stand of Purple Flames_ ' it's the last of the Sacred Relics and the cross in which Christ was crucified in. It has the ability to generate purple flames with Holy Power that can burn anything to ash. The user is dead, so I don't know when another might appear."

That was the first Longinus they heard that didn't have a host.

Unknowingly, that made them release a breath. In a way they were happy, that was one less monster they needed to worry about...

"Absolute Demise or The Eternal Ice Princess, it transforms into a three-meter-tall sculpture that protects its user. Legend says that it can control ice to the point it can generate temperatures below the Absolute Zero. Its current host is Lavinia Reni, a magician and self-proclaimed sister of Vali."

"The other two are Innovate Clear and Telos Karma, but I neither now it's abilities nor their hosts, after all, they haven't been found."

With that, the explanation ended, managing to make the 5 men sink on their knees.

"How?! How, is it possible for things so powerful to exist?!" - Souji was heartbroken, he wanted to fight against a Longinus but now he was extremely scared of them.

"Yes, brother! How could such monsters exist?!" - Ryutaro was also agreeing with his brother, after all, this was a shocker.

"So Hyoudou Issei holds the Boosted Gear... What a monster, capable of doubling his abilities without any limit!" - Ken spoke up, never would have he thought such a weapon was in the hands of him.

"So the Longinus are basically broken abilities, and their hosts are monsters in human skin." - Reiji deduced, he felt tired and their training hasn't even started.

"Well, as long as you don't anger any of them you should be okay!" - Asia tried to calm them down, her gentle smile was soothing and manage to make the men relax.

* _Clap! Clap!_ *

"Well everyone we need to start the training!" - Rias concluded and stepped up.

She managed to drag everyone out of the library and into the training field #2.

In less than a second everyone was already ready to train.

"Asia, Irina and Akeno use the book and teach them the basics of human magic. Xenovia, you specialize on the sword so teach Souji a little. Kiba you're a technique type, please guide Ken. Koneko, you and I will teach Reiji the basic of close combat and demonic magic. Well everyone lets start!"

But before they could start, a magic circle made its appearance in the center of the field.

A man with a luxurious robe made its appearance, he had crimson red hair and blue eyes. The moment his eyes landed on Rias and the rest, they were filled with disappointment and guilt.

He had a silver-haired maid accompanying him, but her eyes were filled with regret and barely hidden sadness.

"Rias, everyone, there's something you need to know." - The man spoke to Rias and the rest, interested a bit in the identities of the men present but quickly dismissed the thought.

"Onii-sama?! What are you doing here?! Even Grayfia as well! What happened?" - Rias was surprised, she hadn't seen her brother and sister-in-law in a long time, and when they do come they have things to talk to them about.

"Rias who are they?" - Reiji asked the question everyone had in their minds.

"He's my big brother and one of the Four Maous, Sirzechs Lucifer!" - She answered the question with pride, even her eyes held a brilliant light.

Those words made every man here pale-faced, the man in front them was the current Lucifer, a being of Legend!

"Let's leave the greetings for another time. Rias, I came here to tell you something extremely important!" - Sirzechs felt his heartbreak when he managed to get the courage of telling his sister.

He took from his robe a small wooden box.

"Rias please remain calm." - The maid at the side told the female, but she herself was almost failing to keep her emotions in check.

Sirzechs resolutely handed the box to his sister.

Rias grabbed it, she felt horrible and she didn't know why.

Her heart was threatening to burst out from her chest, her hands were trembling and her mind spinning. She just mechanically received the wooden box and lifted the lid.

Her face turned pale, her lips blue.

She let the box fall to the ground its contents spread for all to see. Soon, everyone besides the men had the same face as Rias.

"No... No... NONONONO!" - Rias screamed at the top of her lungs.

The rest were the same.

Akeno was frozen completely, not moving an inch.

Irina and Asia had their hands on their mouths, small amounts of tears were falling from their eyes.

Xenovia and Koneko held the same expression, their eyes held nothing, even the light on them was gone, soon they started to tremble and a heavy aura was released from them.

Ravel was crying quietly while turning her head away from the scene. Not capable of watching it.

Kiba was clutching his hands tightly, his bangs covered his face but the aura he excluded was suffocating.

Seeing this the rest of the men tried to comfort them but the sole aura they irradiated was enough to keep them away.

The reason for all of this was the contents of the box that now laid spread across the floor.

Eight crimson Pawn Pieces with black spots and cracks on them.

Those were Issei's Pieces!

They wanted to reject the thought, but that familiar aura made them incapable of it. It was his aura without a doubt...

"HOW?! HOW?!" - Rias screamed at her brother as tears fell from her eyes.

"We don't know." - The answer made all the present place their attention on the Maou.

"Azazel came to Ise-kun's house to talk to him about his training and his Longinus, but he couldn't find him. He searched everywhere and only found those Pieces in a wooden box inside his room."

The words of the Maou were also filled with guilt, but soon enough he controlled himself and went back to his normal tone of voice.

"We checked with Heaven and they said that the Longinus is still with him, in other words, he's alive!" - Sirzechs gave them the hope they needed.

"But why would he do something like that? All of you were with him, so why did he do something that could have cost him his life? It's not like you did something to him... So why?" - The Maou knew which buttons to push.

Just those words made the girls freeze, the tone of the Maou was perfectly filled with curiosity and intrigue so he masked his intentions perfectly.

All the girls stopped their trains of thought.

The idea of why he did it slowly spread all over their minds, they weren't sure but Rias and Akeno thought back when they last saw him.

The change in tone when they last saw him, his cold eyes, his body that became too skinny which they decided to ignore.

The guilt they formerly felt increased by ten times. Their hearts stopped for a second and their faces returned to being pale but this time much worse in color. Their eyes were filled with too many negative emotions to describe, but two of them were obvious; guilt and regret.

"We are currently looking for him, all the Three Factions are. If our efforts turned out to be useless them we would need to ask for help from the other factions." - Sirzechs stated for once the truth, his eyes and the ones of the maid behind him were filled with eagerness and the will to fight, those words made the girls gain a bit of hope.

"Let us help!" - Rias practically ordered his brother.

"Sorry, but that won't happen. This is an extremely secret mission within the Factions, so we will search on our own, you on the other hand should not let this affect you. We don't know the reason behind it, so the best choice is for us to find him and ask him ourselves, after all, we owe him that!" - The last words spoken made the girls turn back to reality.

They knew that Issei was still alive, just missing. So they need to ask him, Why?

They had their suspicions and that thought would not let them rest in peace. They knew they were the reason but subconsciously rejected the idea, but what other reason could it be?

Bad feelings and emotions were filling them, the guilt they felt because of their own thoughts was big. But they wouldn't know until they asked, so until then they were left alone with their own thoughts, something that would little by little eat them from the inside out.

"So from this moment on the Sekiryuutei, Hyoudou Issei is declared to be missing in action!"

The reason they declared him MIA and not just missing was that the world still thought of him as a Devil, by declaring him MIA he wouldn't be counted as a Stray and hereby hunted by others.

The men were surprised by the sudden turn of events, but since they didn't know much it didn't matter to them.

Then the Maou came close to his sister and hugged her.

"Rias don't let this affect you too much. He's fine and we will find him! Keep getting stronger just leave this to us, you can be at ease." - He, with a brotherly tone, consoled his sister.

She just received the hug and nodded her head, cleaning the tears off her face.

"Also, the date for the World-Class Rating-Games has been established, it will be in less than 3 months from now, during Autumn maybe early Winter. So from this moment onwards, you have less than 3 months to become as strong as you can get!" - He ordered the rest of them

"Yes, Sirzechs-sama!" - All the Devils and Irina shouted for the Maou to hear, he only smirked.

"With that I leave you to start the training." - He picked up the Pieces that were on the floor, activated a magic circle and left.

After he left the girls were broken, their eyes were filled with unshed tears and their faces were filled with regret.

"""""Don't worry girls we're sure he's fine!""""" - The five men tried to console them, unknown for them the damage those words did.

The former thought the girls had, came back to their heads.

They knew the reason he did this.

They were the reason!

They cried and seeing this, the five of them came closer and hugged them.

The moment they felt that hug they all thought - (((((((Issei...)))))) - Tears fell even more than before, the guilt they felt was slowly corroding them from the inside.

Kiba watched this with eyes filled with grief, he had the suspicions of why his friend did that but the only thing he could do was to wait and hope for the best.

He turned his head from the scene and looked at the simple looking white ceiling.

(Come back soon, pal...) - His thoughts were directed at his best friend, which unknowingly right now was traveling around the world with a big smirk on his face.

* * *

 **END.**

* * *

 **.**

—-

(Edited. Corrected whatever I could. Punctuation and Grammar. I'm tired...)

(A Random Day Around March)

—-

... long... really... really... long.

I tried to make it as concrete as I could but the brainstorm I did was far too big, even after I cut a lot of material down, a great deal was left...

I hope you like the chapter, this was what happened all the time while Issei was doing his stuff. I think I did a good job. I also managed to get a few pieces that were missing to fit in.

The next chapter will be right after Issei left his house and then the story would start to get really interesting. At the same time I need to answer the, what will happen with this side, in other words how their search is going, the training with the guys, the introduction of famous being to the guys. And the news they receive from Issei.

A loooot! Is left.

So up until today I hope you like it. I'm doing my best!

—-

Answers:

First a general answer, sorry about the grammar and the confusion of beign and being, I write on a tablet, and sometimes I write too fast, and mix words up.

About other mistakes I'll be extra careful, but sometimes the auto-corrector just decides to stick his hand in, I'll check a lot of times to minimize the mistakes.

Laserbr0: Thanks for the words, and yes the story will continue to be more interesting.

SPG: Thanks, I really like that you think the story is addicting, I believe that little by little I am improving.

DreadedDemise: Thanks man, yeah sorry about that sometimes in my head I get confused and write down different things. I hope you like the chapter, took me a while to get it done.

Dragonsayianblue: His Harem, will be absolute bullshit in terms of strength, and about him being cold to them, you shouldn't worry he WILL be.

The Wolf Paladin: Indeed, that's how I made them to be, later on it would be more obvious. About the choices I won't say, but I guess you already know...

Guest...: I see you're a man of Culture yourself, that story is just... the real plot is so good... the majority of us went there for something else, but stayed for the plot...

OsteoPoro: When the part in which they meet comes, it will be another thing entiredly.

TatsuyaShiva4: There, I gave you yor dose of Shiva. Later in the series, they will have a much more personal talk, and in a sense you could say they will become extremely close! I won't spoil anything! The team is already selected but I just need Ise to meet them...

wahyubison: Yes they made their choice, and whatever he wishes to do with them will be up to him, and yes a really scary Dragon with the potential of becoming a top five was just freed on the world, lets see how things turn out.

Gammagyro: Wow! You're really creative, the 'Darkness' was indeed the result of their powers merging, Ascalon won't affect him in any single way, after all since he absorbed it into the Boosted Gear it is a part of him, even if it contradicts his existance, a part of your body won't affect you in a bad way.

About his aura indeed they remember it, but only if they feel it once again will they feel extremely bad. The songs during a battle, I'll think about it.

His other regiments will certainly include that, but since I'm not good at those types of trainings I'll just mention them. I can't say 'run 20 km at max speed' or something like that, sorry about that.

About the 'Gate' since he already read them there's no need to do more, unless is a book that has extremely special info, which they don't after all it's the library of a house and not one of a Country, or someone that has lived through ages.

The pieces don'y hold anything of that sort, after all they were designed to be inside the body and any attempt at removing them will cause death. Ise because of his abilities and circumstances was the first to do it and to survive.

Adislt: Later in the story they will appear I have everythin prepared, that he will be more serious towards them even kind of cold, after all they were neither bad with him nor good. Kiba knew about it but since he's only a servant not related to their relationships at all there was nothing he could do. He is angry at them but since they are his teammates and his master, he doesn't voice it out loud, it will create more problems than solutions. The second review, well let's say you already know.

Mir19: Thanks a lot! I'll make it as good as I can!

The Laughingstock Lenny-kun: Yes, I tried to make it as concrete and realistic as I thought possible, in all other stories they ignore the appearance, and in the real world, it's really god damn important, whether for daily life or an important occasion.

His reactions are like that because of mental distractions, he needs to keep himself in check, after all, he went through something extremely bad, both physical and mental. So his reactions are to make him cope up with certain annoying thoughts or problems.

BenitoMussolini: First the name is fucking awesome! Second Thanks for the words, I'll try to make Issei as good as I can without the Booster Gear, and when he gets it back, he won't be over dependant like in cannon. He will depend more on his 'Darkness', after all he's now a Dragon.

Czechus: Do not worry I completely understand, the point of a good read is to make the reader feel exaclty like that. I'll continue the story at all costs after all, I like how things are going.

Guest: Yeah for that it still has a long time. About the song I don't think its weird, they share similarities but I never thought about it.

Thanks for Reading and...

See you Later!


	7. Chapter 6 - First Journey and Descendant

Chapter 6

(Thoughts)

' _Important Words_ '

"Dialogue" -

 **Attacks, Boosted Gear**

[Good Old Ddraig]

{The Albion}

*Magic Circle Communication. Among Others*

 _Chanting_!

* * *

 **First Journey and Descendant.**

* * *

 **—Kioto Station / Present Day.—**

* * *

 **.**

A hole made its appearance at the center of the rather empty Kyoto Train Station. It was pitch black and held a violet light, however, the silhouette of a figure could be distinguished inside of it.

A man appeared from the inside of the hole and started to look around.

The man had a deep brown hair that was closer to black and almost all bangs of his hair went to his right side, leaving his left one completely free.

In his forehead, a Mark could be seen. It was black in color with a tinge of red, shinning in a purple light. It gave off a demonic vibe that could scare anyone.

He wore an oxford-grey coat that held no eyelets nor a zipper, the only thing making it stay in place was a white string that came out of a pair of eyelets at the base of the neck. The string was tied up in a knot and rested on his chest.

The rest of the eyelets—normally used for the buttons, were stitched up and colored in a rather opaque red.

He also wore a form-fitting black t-shirt and pants of the same color.

To top it off; brown, knee-length boots could be seen, they held no laces and only a pair of red designs could be seen etched on them.

That man was Issei, he left his home as soon as he got his clothes, still being Friday in the morning, close to midday.

"Wow! Why is the station desolated?" - He asked to no one in particular.

Walking around he figured out the answer to his question.

A big sign that read; Under Maintenance could be seen near the wall which also held an old fashioned clock.

"I see... Is it good luck that there is no one here? I don't know. After all, my Hell Gate is capable of hiding my presence even from supernatural beings."

Ignoring the thought, he looked around the place.

A simple station with grey concrete floors and two rails for the trains. He could see some workers checking the rails and changing them for new ones.

The Kyoto train station was one that had the main building on top of the actual stations and that building was filled with stores, food, clothing among other things. While all stations and rail were down below, so it gave the impression of a subway.

Issei put his hands into his pockets and walked away. No one noticed him and soon, after walking around, he reached the staircase.

"What place should I check out first?" - He asked to himself while going up the stairs.

Since the maintenance was halfway done, the escalators were completely stopped just in case anyone of the people present upstairs thought the rail was open.

He reached the top part of the stairs and crossed the yellow tape that kept people away from the location.

After walking towards the right, he soon saw another pair of escalators but this ones fully functional.

They were far away from his location and not many people were walking in the hallway here. Well the rail was closed so they had nothing to do here.

While looking around, Issei continued his journey. After a couple of minutes of walking, he reached the escalators he first saw and stepped on them.

Reaching almost the entrance of the station, a sea of people appeared out of nowhere—right in front of him. They quickly moved in different directions while pushing each other around.

They were many people; young, old, male or female, local or tourists. But as soon as he reached the end of the escalators some of them looked at his direction, after all, it was odd to find someone climbing up those stairs.

The moment the normal humans laid their eyes on him they stopped moving. They froze.

The males were kind of frightened of him, his appearance gave him a bad boy feeling and the ' _tattoo_ ' on his forehead suited him perfectly.

The cold look on those really odd eyes gave them a bad feeling, they irradiated a feeling that said ' _Don't mess with me_ ' so like their instincts told them, they didn't mess with him.

The female population was quite different, it all started from a couple of women that casually looked at him, but soon their friends accompanying them saw the looks in their faces and looked at the general direction they were staring at. After that, many, if not all the women, were staring at him.

They all had two things in common; One was the blush on their cheeks whether large or small—that depended on the female. And second was that they just stood still, not moving.

The ones that were actually walking around the place noticed this and also curiously looked at the general direction, only for the same to happen managing to create a perfect Domino effect.

After a few moments, the majority of the female population stood still and just looked at him.

His bad boy look and presence attracted them, his clothing gave him a rather roguish vibe making him quite the man in their eyes.

His face, although it didn't look too handsome, it had sharp features that showed experience in life.

Issei was, of course, oblivious to all of this, he was just looking at the station.

(Wow! It looks rather good for a train station!) - Those were his thoughts, he was interested in the looks of the station.

The station was built to be open, so not much roof was seen. The light of the day peeked in between the steel girders and managed to fill the entire place with a brilliant glow.

A lot of glass could also be seen, it was either completely clear or tinted with a blue color.

The smooth floor gave the impression of a carpet and it's grey color looked quite clear, ridden from any impurities. Some lamps could be seen at the extremes of the same station, but they were turned off.

He could see, towards his right, another pathway leading inside with a couple of souvenir shops at both sides.

He looked in front of him and saw a big staircase with a single escalator at its right-hand side.

If he had to guess, he should be in the Esplanade that connects the shopping square inside the station with the shopping district, and the big staircases in front should be one of the many entrances and exits.

(Mmmm... Now that I think about it, for a normal station this is quite aesthetically pleasing.) - While nodding his head Issei walked upwards, ignoring the blushes from the ladies and the angry glares from the males.

Reaching halfway up, he turned his head towards the left and saw a building which entire facade was made out of glass.

(Those should be the offices of the workers here.) - Issei turned his head back and sped up.

Finally at the entrance of the station, he stared into the distance and inhaled a fresh breath of cold air.

"Haaa..." - He let out a small smile.

"I'm free! I'm finally free from those people!"

He looked at the bright blue sky that had a small visible ray of light. He then closed his eyes and momentarily felt the wind hit his face.

(Thank you.) - He didn't even know who he thanked but after that, he felt relieved.

"Where should I visit first?" - He looked around and started to walk in a random direction, now that he was here he didn't have to hurry.

He crossed the road while still pondering to himself his next destination.

(Which place I visited last time but didn't see it because of the attack on Kyoto?)

He walked around the place a bit more, seeing tall glass buildings and many people crossing the streets.

A lot of things could be done here but before he had any idea of what to do, a sound disturbed his thoughts.

* _Grumble._ *

Surprised by it, he blushed a little. - "Seems like I need to go eat something..."

He made his decision and turned towards the road. He now appeared to be quite a distance away from the station.

(It seems I got lost while I was walking.) - Surprised yet again by his luck, he looked at his surroundings.

Not many things could be seen aside from a couple of buildings, houses and restaurants that were quite close to one another.

Walking further inside the city without any fear, he strolled for a while.

"Haaa..." - He sighed in defeat, not a single restaurant he liked, he was disappointed.

"It appears that I'll have to go to the market and buy food there..." - He turned around and when he was walking away he heard something that caught his attention.

"Come on! Come on! It just opened! You know how much that place is filled, even if it looks bad on the outside!"

A young man with a normal Japanese hair said to his friend, both appear to be running and just casually ran past Issei.

"Yes, Yes, I know. Don't drag me! We're still on time, today is a good day not many adults or office workers go at this time of the day. We have around an hour more!"

The one that was dragged was a similarly aged teen. He had long black hair and wore a school uniform that looked exactly the same as his friend.

"I wonder what the specialty of the day will be?" - While drooling, the first young man talked to himself.

Looking closely, both had normal looking faces, the long haired one had brown eyes, while the other one black.

Since they wore a normal-looking uniform not much could be seen, but by Issei's guesses they shouldn't train anything in particular.

(Hmmm? So a specialty of the day restaurant that looks bad on the outside but the food is delicious... caught my interest!) - That place should have something appropiate for him to eat.

(Those two are normal humans and no aura of a supernatural being is stuck on them. They should be your average humans going to an ordinary restaurant.)

Issei turned around and slowly followed those two young men without them noticing, a small smirk was on his face.

"Don't disappoint me! After all, my breakfast and probably the meal of the day depend on you!" - He appeared to be talking to the both of them, but they were too far ahead to listen to him.

Crossing the corner both men talked to themselves.

"Hey did you see the guy back there?" - The long haired one asked his friend.

"Yes, he looked dangerous, and although I hate to admit it he's rather handsome. He should attract women by the dozens!" - The friend replied to his brown-eyed pal, a bit of envy in his voice.

"Yes, but something about him looked special, although we ran past him I could still tell he isn't normal!" - The brown-eyed young man talked to his friend.

They soon disregarded the man they just saw and quickly kept running, both of them didn't know that Issei heard everything.

(Look, dangerous? Me?) - He didn't believe them.

With a slow pace he followed the two humans.

For him, tracking them was extremely easy. After crossing many streets, turning corners and almost being hit by a truck, Issei reached the place in which he felt the presence of the two humans.

"Sumiredōri Shopping District?" - He read the sign that was on top of him, held by two wooden pillars blue in color.

It appeared the two humans brought him to a shopping district.

"Well if worst comes to worst I'll prepare my own food. I see the market over there and a convenience store on the other side, so sure, lets try." - He shrugged his shoulders and walked in, following the aura of the two students.

At the corner of the block he could see a normal and even below average restaurant. It had an awning red in color that appeared to be just cleaned off any grime and dust.

He saw a sign up there and read out loud.

"Shokujidokoro Yukihira? A family business? Those are always the best restaurants!"

Deciding the place he was going to eat at, he hoped he wasn't wrong and walked towards it, soon reaching the sliding wooden door.

* * *

 **—-Shokujidokoro Yukihira Family Restaurant / Inside.—-**

* * *

 **.**

On the inside of the restaurant one could see a short, red-haired boy sprinting in between wooden tables.

He had a goofy look in his eyes which were golden in color and a smile on his face. A single scar was present on his left eyebrow, falling down until a little above his eyelid. Many different food plates were on his arms, too many in fact that there was the risk of dropping them.

Then a man screamed. - "A Beef Stew!"

The young red-haired turned his head and said.

"Coming right up!" - Then he walked towards the location of the man.

He left the stew in place and after a couple of moments, all of his arms were empty. He just smiled and got back into the kitchen, which was literally on the opposite side of the main door.

This place was small, a limited number of tables could be seen, maybe around eight or nine just enough for the young man to attend perfectly.

The old man in the kitchen was cooking the food the newly arrived clients asked for, a pair of boys that got lucky and reached this place on time.

He had long brown hair which is swept back save for a single group of bangs that hangs over his face down to his chin.

His eyes were sharper and more serious than the boy, which was standing in front of him, and were also golden in color. Meaning that they were both father and son. He had a slight beard on his chin and his body looked very well toned.

"Ojiaji, everything has been delivered only those two you're cooking for are left. After this, we shall have our duel!" - The boy pointed at his father with a challenging smirk on his face.

"Ohhh. You think you can win?" - The father turned his head while still cooking, a fierce light could be seen in his eyes.

"But of course!" - Not feeling intimidated he replied back.

"Fine, but who shall be the judge? Everyone here has already been one." - The father agreed but stated the problem they had.

They wanted, if possible, someone new. But that person wouldn't open the door and just appear out of nowhere.

"Right Ojiaji..." - While thinking he put his hand on his chin.

(If someone could appear... Now that would be a blessing!) - He was hoping for it, he even turned his head towards the door, his father did the same.

A couple of seconds later the door was opened, it appeared someone heard their prayers.

""Yes!"" - They both excitedly yelled, they even raised both hands.

The boy soon started to think what to cook, he didn't look at the man that just entered the restaurant. But his father certainly did, and what he saw scared him a bit.

He knew the one at the entrance of the restaurant wasn't a normal human being.

(This guy...) - The man looked at the dark brown-haired boy standing at the entrance.

Issei just closed the sliding door behind him and said.

"Excuse me, I heard this place has some delicious food. I would want to order." - His voice was sharp and warm, a really odd combination of tones that made everyone, except the red-haired boy, widen their eyes.

He used this tone of voice on strangers so that he didn't scare them off, after all, they hadn't done anything to him. His normal sharp and cold tone was for those he thought of as a threat.

Everyone inside was staring at the man standing at the door.

However, the thing that made everyone inhale a cold breath of air was the ' _Tattoo_ ' on the left side of his forehead. Black with a tinge of red and for them it looked like it shined with a violet light.

That shinning made everyone think that he just got it recently.

His eyes were the exact same color as his tattoo but, of course, without the violet light.

"Ahhh? Excuse me?" - Issei asked again this time tilting his head.

The young boy finally got back from his thoughts, and while looking at him with a smile he said.

"Sure, please sit here!" - He pointed at a stool near the kitchen.

The Dragon nodded and approached the stool, all eyes still on him.

(What exactly is wrong with this guy? I feel he's different in a sense.) - The old man on the kitchen thought to himself.

He has traveled all over the world and met many varieties of people, from extremely rich owners of companies, to Royalty and even normal office workers at the side of the road. But not once has he felt a presence such as the one the man approaching him had.

It was difficult to explain; it appeared dangerous and mysterious yet also like something was hidden...

Issei looked at the young boy in front of him, who was still smiling at him.

(Quite the young fella. He doesn't appear to be older that sixteen but capable of resisting my natural aura. Quite amazing.) - Issei was surprised by the young man, although a normal human, he seemed to have a pretty strong will and didn't judge a book by his cover.

(In the near future, he will be someone recognized by all.) - He made his guess which wasn't far off from the truth.

"What do you want to order?" - He heard the voice of the teen, Issei turned and looked directly at his eyes maintaining eye contact for a couple of seconds, yet not a single bit of surprise could be seen in them.

"Hmmm... About that...what is the specialty of the day?" - He asked back, the young boy smirked and answered. - "Chicken Egg, Tempura Don!"

Issei was convinced about the specialty and nodded his head, ordering that.

"Please wait for a minute." - The young man said to him, but then he turned around and asked.

"Ohh! May I ask you to be the judge of the duel between my father and I?"

The question surprised Issei, but the boy looked straight at him with hope in his eyes and that goofy smile made him nod.

"On one condition." - He lifted the index finger of his left hand up.

"What is it?" - The eyes of the boy turned serious, but seeing the mysterious man smile at the corner of his mouth, he relaxed.

"Only if the food is delicious!" - That comment made the young boy turn around, while walking at the kitchen he said to him.

"But of course!"

It appeared to be that the restaurant and the owners of it were quite interesting.

Issei sat there and closed his eyes, for everyone it appeared that he was taking a break.

After a couple of moments, the rest of the people inside the restaurant started to talk again, this time about the mysterious man sitting on the stool.

"Hey what do you think about him?" - Unreservedly, they asked among themselves in a voice they thought as low.

"I don't know. He looks odd and seems to be special in a sense but I can't see how..." - Two older office workers who were on their lunch breaks talked to themselves.

On the other side of the restaurant, two young women around their early twenties were also whispering between themselves.

"Don't you think he looks hot?" - A light brown-haired woman asked her friend, her eyes scanned the body from top to bottom of the one sitting at the stool.

"...If only he was more fit, he would be perfect!" - She said once again.

The man didn't look muscular and looked rather skinny, maybe he was midway in his physical activities and training?

"Yesss..." - The other woman whispered huskily. - "He looks like a bad boy and those eyes suit him perfectly, I would definitely do him!" - The long dark-haired woman said as she licked her lips, unknowingly causing Issei to sweat and think.

(Not another Kiryuu, please...)

It appeared to be that there were women that were also perverts outside of Kuoh.

The man inside the kitchen never took his eyes of the young man sitting on the stool, his son already took care of his order. He didn't do it because he felt something was weird with the guy in front of him.

Grabbing all of his courage, he went closer to him and with a friendly smile and tone he asked.

"You don't look from around here? Did you get lost?" - The tone was as friendly as he could manage.

Issei opened his eyes and looked into his, making the old-man discreetly sweat.

(What kind of eyes are those?!) - He screamed internally when he saw those pair of eyes clearly.

They looked like they were sinked in darkness, but the light they held was extremely firm and unwavering. They also transmitted a certain wisdom in life that amazed him.

(What did you go through?) - That look for a kid not even twenty was exceedingly rare. Not even him, that was reaching his forties and traveled around the world, had that look in his eyes.

"Yes, I'm new. I am travelling around the world and Kyoto is my first stop." - The Dragon answered the question with his sharp and warm voice, although the man looked at him weirdly it didn't hold any bad emotion, more like surprise and caution.

"I see! A traveler!" - At the mention of this the old man smiled even further.

"I also traveled around the world when I was younger, a great experience! I'm glad there's still someone that wants to do it!" - Remebering his younger days he rested his body on the kitchen bar, getting closer to Issei.

"You also traveled around the world?" - His interest peaked, he asked the old man.

"Yes...you see, I am a cook that studied at a rather prestigious academy, but in that place I once forgot what was the most important to me... So I decided to travel around the world and find it again." - He explained his story while making sure his son didn't hear him, after all, it was a secret.

"And you did?" - Issei felt sympathy for the man, he was more or less going through the same situation.

"Yes. I did. A woman was the one I found, I married her and had a child. The brat in the kitchen." - He pointed to his back where the teen from before was cooking with a smile on his face.

"That moment was the best in my life. No trophy. No power. No glory. I once gained or will ever gain will surpass the moment when she accepted to marry me." - The man had a nostalgic look in his eyes, but they were also filled with happiness.

"And what happened to her?"

"She passed away due to a sickness a couple of years ago." - He said in a calm voice.

"I'm sorry for your loss." - Issei expressed his apologies, getting a little smirk from the man.

"Don't worry, you didn't know about it."

Silence filled the place once again until surprisingly Issei broke it.

"Which country do you recommend me to visit?" - Since the man had experience and he seemed like he wasn't lying, Issei asked.

"Country!?" - He thought that he would ask inside of Japan! But he suddenly went worldwide! Did he have the money to travel around the globe?

Issei just nodded.

"Mmmm..." - He placed a hand on his chin. - "Which places across the globe have you already visited?" - He asked back to him.

"Romania." - Back during a Qlippoth attack he visited the land of the Vampires.

(Maybe I should visit it again, after all, I only went to the castles of the ' _Carmilla_ ' and ' _Tepes_ ' Faction.)

The man, amazed by the sudden mention of the country, started to think.

"Do you like the west part of the world?" - He had a couple of places in mind but he needed to ask the young man.

Issei only nodded.

"You should probably do it like this." - He stopped reclining himself against the kitchen bar and said.

"Go to Kuwait then by land travel all of Arabia, probably go to Jerusalem. Cross Iran, Iraq and Pakistan and then reach India. Once there, take a plane and fly to Germany and visit the countries around it. That's my recommendation!" - He told Issei.

(Sounds Good.) - Issei was convinced, maybe he should do it that way.

"Sorry for the wait! Here is your order!" - The teen came back with the plate and put it in front of Issei.

(Smells quite good!) - Issei didn't doubt for a second and went for the meal.

In his words—it was delicious, and it came from him that has eaten high-class food quite normally.

"Good food." - He said to the boy, only getting a slight smirk on his face.

"Happy to serve!" - The teen smirked while removing his white headband. And after a couple of minutes, the meal was gone.

"So would you be the judge?" - He asked with stars in his eyes.

"Sure." - If he could eat more delicious food without any extra cost that was fine by him.

"Great! Ojiaji, prepare to lose!"

The red-haired teen had a proud smirk that only lasted that long. Fifteen minutes later the same red-haired brat was on his knees in front of his father, crying and laughing bitterly.

He was destroyed during the cooking match.

"HaHaHaHa! That should be around your 500th loss!" - He laughed at his son, happy about the result.

"What are you saying, that's only the 489th time!" - He talked back to his father.

(...That doesn't make it any better...) - Issei thought while he finished the rice bowl.

"Thanks for the food." - He stood up from the stool, paid for his single plate and turned arround.

"Old man... Thanks for the advice, I might do it that way." - He, without turning back, said to the forty-year-old man.

"And you kid, don't give up." - Issei said while he looked over his shoulder. - "You have much more potential than you can imagine and soon enough you'll be better than your father, always remember that!" - His piercing eyes looking directly at the young man.

That look in the mysterious man's face won't be something he will forget.

Seeing the face of the young boy, Issei turned his head around and went for the door.

"What's your name?!" - The teen screamed at him. He wanted to remember the man with those piercing eyes which told him he would be better than his father.

Ise stopped opening the door midway, debating over what to do but soon he gave up.

(For you to actually make me say my name... Pretty good...) - He held a smirk.

"Hyoudou Issei! Don't forget it. One day I'll come back, and you better stand above from the place you're today! Don't make my words go to waste!" - He slammed the door open and left but before that he heard a voice.

"My name is Yukihira Souma! Better be back!" - Ise scoffed in amusement and left.

A couple of moments flew by, the clients inside were silent during the exchange of words between them

((Hyoudou Issei.))

Both father and son carved the name into memory, the strange man that irradiated danger and mystery. This was probably the most abnormal person they'll ever meet.

"Remeber Souma, people like that exist all over the world! Some are more special than others but like him, there are people that will make you want to try your best!" - The father recommended to his son and continued his cooking.

(All over the world, huh? I bet we'll meet again Issei, and at that moment I'll be better than what I am now!) - He made the promise to himself. Not knowing that soon he would go to a journey that will forever change him.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Outside Shopping District.—-**

* * *

 **.**

(Quite the interesting guy...)

Issei continued his journey, he saw that according to the clock on a wall it was around 1 in the afternoon.

(Mmmm... I want to go to Fushimi-Inari. Before, I wasn't able to tour around it, but I think I'm far away maybe I should use my Hell Gate?) - He thought to himself as he went to look for a dark alley to use it.

Soon he reached one and activated his **'Hell Gate.'**

He went into the black portal and soon disappeared from the place he was at.

A portal manifested itself in a different place, Issei calmly walked out of it. After seconds, he saw the temple he visited once before.

(Fushimi-Inari...) - He had a firm expression on his face. - (Thankfully, my Hell Gate is extremely useful for these type of situations.)

He appeared in the middle of a busy street, but thanks to the trait of his ability he wasn't noticed by anyone.

(Really...quite the beautiful place.)

He approached a big red Japanese gate, or Torii, that was at the entrance of the mountain.

Behind it, a big, ancient, Japanese-styled building was present also red in color.

It had the appearance of an even bigger gate which had many golden accents on its surface, giving off a refined look. It had an inclined roof that was light brown in color and also looked extremely beautiful.

This was the Main Gate of Fushimi-Inari. And above it one could see a huge collection of staircases and orange/red Torri.

Issei walked across the Main Gate and looked around, seeing two bronze statues at the side of the entrance near the main building.

They were of two foxes, one held a key in its mouth while the other a jewel.

(...Interesting...) - Issei thought to himself as he went to search for the best route upwards.

A sea of people followed him, but it looked like they were coincidentally headed towards the same direction.

A huge stone staircase could be seen a couple of steps away, massive amounts of Torri's adorning it, making the staircase have some kind of a roof because of them.

A few of the Torri were small enough for a man not over 1.80cm to walk through. While others went as high as the trees nearby.

The Red Dragon Emperor continued his walk, not paying attention to anyone fully concentrated in the scenery of the place.

Issei continued in as he saw how the road divided into two.

"Left." - He muttered and walked that way.

Some of the tourists behind him chose right, maybe because he looked rather threatening. Only a couple of woman were still following him, some even had their phones on their hands.

"Kyaaaa...!" - A woman screamed with a blush on her cheeks, it appeared that she took a picture of him.

(Give me a break.) - Ise gained a drop of sweat in the back of his neck.

After that little problem he decided to increase his pace, and using his absurd speed he left the woman behind.

"Huh? Where did he go?" - Some asked that to themselves as they looked around.

Ise reached the top of the mountain. A big, orange/red Torri was behind him, this bearing a similitude to the one at the entrance.

"What a view! The last time I came here we didn't manage to reach this high up." - The view here was magnificent so he went towards a rock and sat on it.

Many buildings tall and small could be seen, and hundreds of trees accompanying the streets were present. Because it was a good time of the year some Sakura trees still had their flowers.

Issei just sat there not having a single thought inside his head, but soon something caught his interest.

(Hmm?) - He turned around and saw two male figures dressed in apparently civilian clothing.

One seemed to be in his early thirties with a blue dress shirt and black pants with the same color of shoes. He as well had golden eyes and hair that seemed out of the ordinary.

The second man looked younger by a couple of years, around his mid-twenties. He also had the same golden hair but had blue eyes. He wore military pants green in color and a beige-colored t-shirt, black boots were on both of his legs.

A little out of the ordinary tourists but not that strange, at least for the majority of the normal people.

(Yōkai!) - Issei quickly noticed the true nature of their aura, but he couldn't figure out their species.

(Since we are in Fushimi-Inari, my guess is a Kitsune.)

Not wanting to get into problems, he quickly vanished from his sitting position. His speed so high it reached the realm of leaving after-images.

He then reappeared at the top of the Torii, his eyes never leaving the both of them. He forced his ears a little to try to hear what they were talking about.

"Man such a bummer, we can't go the party hosted by Amaterasu-sama!" - The gold-eyed Yōkai talked to his partner.

"You know why! We are far too low leveled for a party in which even Gods may attend!" - The military-wearing man rebutted the comment of the thirty-year-old.

(A party in which Gods may appear?)

Ise listened to their conversation, intrigued by their words. Wanting to know more he used his senses and scanned both of them without them noticing.

(Mid-Tier, Mid-Class Yōkai is more or less the level of the reserves of the older one. The other...) - Ise took his eyes from the older one and looked at the youngest. - (Low-Tier, High-Class Yōkai. It seems the younger generation is taking the lead.)

"Yes. But still! I would have loved to see a couple of Goddesses in the flesh!" - The older man commented with a perverted grin on his face.

((Is that the only reason you wish to go for?)) - Both Issei and the strict man thought the same thing.

"Haaa..." - The stict man let out a sigh filled with tiredness. Why his partner, although older, was more like a child?

"Oi. Oi. Come on, don't be like that." - He tried to console the younger one. - "We found a treasure that was lost since a couple of centuries ago, you should be happier!"

"I know, but still..." - Letting his feelings out, he sighed.

Soon, the younger man thought of another thing that had him rather confused.

"I don't know how they actually got the treasure. They told us they found it when they were doing damage repair back at Nasuno, but I believe something is off."

The older man was surprised. - "They didn't tell you?"

Thanks to being of a higher rank, thanks to his age, he got the true information behind the mystery of the treasure.

"You know!?"

"Shhh! Lower your voice." - He quickly covered his mouth and started to look around, not looking up were Ise was.

"Yes, I do. After all, I have a higher position than you even if you're stronger than me!"

"What are you waiting for, spill it out!" - The strict younger man left his personality aside and with stars in his eyes, he asked the man.

(Where did your strictness from a moment ago went to?) - Issei made the mental note.

"Fine, I'll tell you, but it needs to be in a private location." - He seriously commented, getting a nod from his partner.

The two of them started to walk around, their destination was the part of the mountain that wasn't open to the public. They went behind the gate they were currently at and soon crossed the line that separated the mountain in half.

(...Mmmm...) - Issei was interested. A treasure, the truth behind it, smells like an adventure! Something he rather liked.

"Fuck it!" - He decided to follow them.

A pair of sharp, pitch black wings made their appearance behind his back. They appeared to be detached from his back magically floating behind him.

He flapped them once and a second later, he vanished.

He was flying extremely fast, to the point that an airwall formed in his surroundings.

(Do not break the sound barrierrrr!) - If he did break it, then they will notice something was amiss.

After another flap of his wings, he once again saw the two Yōkai from before this time deep inside the small forest of the mountain.

The older man released his true form, a fluffy tail and a pair of sharp, pointy ears became visible at the top of his head.

Ise, seeing this, knew his guess was right. - (So he was indeed a Kitsune...)

Still in the air he used his Darkness to cover his left shoulder and right thigh, hidding his presence to the point that the old man couldn't detect it.

"We're alone, no one noticed us."

Issei smiled when the Yōkai mentioned this.

"Now, the reason of how we found a treasure!" - Both Ise and the younger man paid attention to this.

Ise casually landed on a thick tree branch near them to hear better, he did not want to miss this.

"It wasn't found on a ruin during the repair, it was found on someone." - The older man explained, getting an amazed look from the military dude and a nod of acceptance from Ise, he suspected that.

"After the destruction caused by the Beast we did go to do repair jobs, but what we didn't expect was for a strong Yōkai to be the province of Nasuno. That Yōkai had the treasure!"

"Who was the Yōkai?" - The strict guy asked his partner getting another nod from Ise, he also wanted to know about that.

"You won't believe it!"

(Just say it old man!) - Ise was getting tired of beating around the bush.

"Just say it!" - It seems he wasn't the only one.

"Fine. Fine. Yeesh, don't get your panties in a twist" - He said with sarcasm. - "It was found on a female Kitsune Yōkai."

His answer managed to get a deadpan look from his partner. - "And?" - He asked back.

"It was a Nine-Tailed Fox!" - _That_ , was the information both, Ise and the twenty-year-old wanted to hear.

The first to react was the twenty-year-old.

"Wait! A Nine-Tailed Fox? If I'm not wrong the only Nine-Tailed Fox is Yasaka-sama..." - He muttered under his breath. - "Unless!"

The young man widened his eyes at the realization, he soon took some steps back in shock and fell down to the ground.

"Ha! Indeed!" - The older one smiled at the scene.

"A Nine-Tailed Fox that had red hair with a tinge of black, also known as a ' _Kyuubi-No-Yōko!'_ Adescendant of one of the Three Most Evil Yōkai! A descendant of Tamamo-No-Mae!"

Issei was shocked. - (A descendant of Tamamo-No-Mae?! Weren't they exterminated!?) - Issei remembered reading about it.

"Weren't they eradicated a couple of hundreds of years ago?" - It seems the younger man thought the same.

"They were supposed to." - He nodded his head. - "But it seems a survivor escaped and continued the legacy."

"When we found her, she proved to be extremely strong! I was present when we had to take her down. It took an entire squadron of Ultimate-Class Yōkai just to subdue her!" - The man shuddered as he remembered that day.

"W-What h-happened to her?" - The man was scared. An entire squadron just to subdue her and not kill her, obviously they wanted something else from her.

"She was jailed here in Kyoto!"

Issei was happy about the info. - (Maybe I can offer her to join my team if I free her.) - He did his machinations.

"I don't know the exact location because they refused to give it out. After all, it would be quite dangerous if it's known." - His tone deadly serious. - "The only thing I know is that she's inside Arashiyama."

"The bamboo forest? Why there?"

"Beats me, I just casually heard it as my two superiors were talking."

(Arashiyama, huh.) - Issei was lost in thought.

That place was quite big it will take time to explore it all, and finding someone was even harder.

"Then what about the treasure?" - That question also piqued Ise's interest.

"I also don't know. They didn't tell me at all!" - The man was quite angry at the secrecy of his superiors.

(A treasure so important that they won't tell about it?) - Issei was kind of excited about it, now he knew his next destiny for travel. - (Arashiyama, here I come!)

He was about to leave when he heard another question, so he stopped midway.

"Then what about Yasaka-sama and Amaterasu-sama? Do they know about how they got the treasure?" - The man asked, he knew that if both of them knew about the descendant then she wouldn't be jailed.

"Of course not!" - He scoffed. - "Both of them are far too naive and will let her roam freely. They are even capable of offering her a high position, after all, she's quite strong and an extremely rare species of Yōkai. So the superiors made the story of casually finding it!"

"Good! A traitor should be executed!" - The young man raised his voice, getting a smirk from the old one.

(It appears that she's despised by the Yōkai even if she's just a descendant...) - Ise was disgusted by the look in both Yōkai's eyes.

"Tch! Trash!" - Issei muttered under his breath, debating whether to kill them or not.

He soon changed his mind. During this time period if anything were to happen, it will alert everyone and his newly formed plan will go down the drain.

He turned around and jumped high into the air, not letting them sense him at all.

When he reached a sufficient height he used his Darkness and formed his former pair of wings. He flapped them and vanished from the spot.

Freely flying in the sky Ise was focused on his thoughts.

(Where should I go?) - Arashiyama was huge so he didn't know where to land.

"Fuck it. Let luck be my guide!" - He increased his speed breaking the sound barrier.

* * *

 **—-Time Skip / 4 Hours Later.—-**

* * *

 **.**

"How big is this fucking place?!" - Issei screamed.

He spent more than four hours in the shitty Bamboo forest but aside from a few boars and squirrels, nothing else was seen! Not even a human being!

"You gotta be kidding with me! How am I supposed to find someone in this huge fucking place!?" - Cursing at the highest capacity of his lungs, he sat on a nearby rock.

He then laid down on it and watched the sky change from a clear blue to a deeper one, clouds covering the majority of it.

A few of the near by bamboo trees covered the extremes of his vision.

A couple of cherry blossoms and Japanese maples could be seen here and there. Some of their leaves falling to the ground because of the winds, making the grey and brown floor look livelier with their pinks and reds.

"Haaaa... When will I find something?" - Issei was still on the rock lamenting that he couldn't find anything.

He heard a noise behind him and stood up, he prepared his left arm to summon **'** **Rebellion'** just in case of anything.

He looked at the origin of the sound and saw a couple of bamboo trees moving from one side to another.

"Come!" - Prepared for anything he said to the thing behind the trees.

But he only got disappointment.

"Oo-Aa!" - A small monkey not taller that his knee came from the top of the bamboo tree.

Ise only blinked in confusion and sensed the monkey, finding nothing wrong with it he released his guard.

"Haaaa..." - He sounded exhausted. - "A monkey of all things made me lose my cool..." -

His hand that was prepared to summon **'** **Rebellion'** at any time, relaxed.

The monkey was looking directly at him not breaking visual contact.

"...weird monkey..." - He looked back at the monkey.

A moment after that, the monkey made noises and pointed its little hand towards Issei and back to himself continuously.

"What are you doing?" - Issei, confused, asked the monkey who's only response was to move his hand in that odd fashion even more.

"You want me to follow you?" - The monkey nodded and screamed even more, he jumped in his place to signify that he was excited.

(Follow a normal looking monkey into the depths of a forest what could go wrong...)

"Well, nothing better to do." - He just shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the monkey who looked even more excited. He continued to follow the monkey that was walking in a funny way.

After a couple of minutes maybe around half an hour, the monkey stopped and turned around jumping and squealing like crazy.

"So we're here." - He, someway or another, figured out what the monkey wanted to say.

The monkey jumped into a nearby tree and climbed it.

The vision without the monkey was that of a huge plain with many mossy rocks in different sizes. From a small pebble to an actual hill, many other monkeys were climbing the surrounding bamboo trees or playing with the stones and other monkeys.

"This is your home?" - Ise asked the monkey that was climbing a nearby tree.

The monkey only started to squeal in return.

"Quite a beautiful place you got here." - He complimented.

(I wonder if Mount Huaguo will be anything like this?) - He looked around as saw the many monkeys playing, sleeping or just staring at him.

"It seems they don't think of me as a threat. Quite weird." - He didn't understand why the monkeys looked at him with no fear in their eyes.

He also couldn't understand why were they so smart, at least, the one that brought him here was incredibly smart for a normal monkey.

The one that brought him here climbed down the tree and stood in front of him.

They held a staring contest in which, after a few moments, the monkey broke it and squealed. It appeared that he was accepted here.

"So does that means you accept me as a visitor?" - He asked the monkey, who only tilted his head.

(I guess I asked for too much...)

"Oo-Aa!" - The monkey then nodded his head.

(He understood me!?) - He was stunned at the nod of the monkey.

"I can't believe I'm going to do this..." - Remembering why he was here in the first place, he muttered to himself.

"Well, I literally have nothing to lose." - He steadied himself and looked directly into the monkey's eyes.

"I'm looking for someone, she's a fox with red and black tails. Have you seen her?"

It appeared that he finally lost the sanity he had left...

"Here goes nothing..." - Using his Darkness he manifested what he Hoped was a fox tail and a pair of ears to make the monkey understand.

Then he pointed at the red parts of his Darkness and said. - "Seen someone like that?"

The monkey finally understood and nodded with a dumb grin on his face.

"You have?!" - He was shocked!

The monkey nodded his head again.

"Would you take me to her?" - He asked the most important question.

The monkey, for the fourth time, nodded its little head. Then the monkey began to squeal and two other monkeys came to his side, they looked just like him, black in color but one looked a lot older.

He squealed at Issei and did the sign in which he pointed to himself and then at Ise.

"I'll follow you!" - Issei activated his Darkness and turning it into stains covering his left shoulder and thigh.

"Lead the way!" - Issei smirked.

The monkey squealed and the other two jumped up and down and into the threes. It seems his only guide here was a clever monkey.

The monkey came closer to him and pointed at Issei's shoulder. Knowing what the monkey meant, he let him stand on his shoulder.

"Where to?" - The black monkey pointed into a direction, Ise followed the finger.

A couple of minutes went by, Ise could only hear the trees moving maybe because of the other two that accompanied them. The monkey every now and then pointed at another direction, which Ise just followed in silence.

After another hour the sky was starting to darken, perhaps he had another hour or two before of light.

The monkey on his shoulder squealed and then jumped off of his shoulder.

Landing on the ground he turned to look at him and just pointed at a direction. In the distance, Issei could see a small mountain.

"That's the place?" - He asked the monkey which in turn only nodded.

Then he walked closer towards it, seeing that the monkey was not coming with him he tilted his head.

"Not coming?" - The black monkey only nodded its little head and waved his hand, maybe as a sign of goodbye.

Issei saw this and smiled, he then waved back at the monkey which turned its back to him and left while climbing a tree.

"Thank you, you were a great help."

Turning around Issei looked at the new destination, a mountain in the distance.

Walking a couple of meters he sensed something.

(Yōkai...) - He could sense the presence of them.

Walking even closer, he reached the end of the forest, only seeing a humongous mountain which covered a great part of the sky.

(2... 6... 10. All at least Low-Tier High-Class...) - He spotted only 10 Yōkai outside making guard.

(I shouldn't kill them, only knock them out. Less things to cover up.)

Walking closer to the left side where less guards were patrolling, he made prepared his move.

(An Amanojaku...)

It was a small Yōkai that made people wicked, in other words, it cursed them. It was small in shape and had the appearance of a small ' _Oni_ ' a meter tall.

At an incredible speed he approached the nearest guard.

He used his Darkness and covered only a small part of his left hand, then he hit the back of his neck, knocking him out.

(One down.) - He grabbed the unconscious body and silently let him fall onto the floor.

(Maybe I should make restraints just in case of anything.) - He used his Darkness again and made a couple of simple-looking ropes that tied him down to the ground, even one covered his mouth.

(Good! Even if he wakes up, he won't be capable of doing anything.)

He then went towards the second Yōkai. This one being a ' _Baku_ ' a spirit which devoured dreams and nightmares, it held no physical body and looked like a normal ghost.

(Mid-Tier High-Class, huh.) - Covering even more of his hand in his Darkness he went for it.

* _BAAAM!*_

Punching his face as hard as he could he once again succeeded.

(So my Darkness can even punch spirits and beings that have no physical body. Pretty good!) - He discovered something new about his Darkness.

Issei repeated the process on all eight remaining Yōkai. These ones were either normal red or blue Onis or Tengus. He then cuffed them like the first one and discreetly went inside the cave.

(Damn! This place has many different roads!)

He noticed how the cave divided itself into seven different roads, all looking exactly the same. They were all grey with a few stalactites hanging off the ceiling, rocks and puddles of water on the floor.

(I'll have to use my senses.) - He closed his eyes and let his Dragon senses kick in.

He felt the auras of many Yōkais, but one of them appeared to be on a separate location and it dwarfed everyone else inside this cave!

"Bingo." - He muttered as he felt the enormous reserves of magic of the last Yōkai.

(That's at least Top-Tier Ultimate-Class! Maybe even more!) - He couldn't hide the smile on his face. - (Before, maybe I could only fight it in my True-Queen form and that's just to match it!) - He gulped.

If he could get that trapped Yōkai to agree into becoming part of his team then he would have an extremely powerful ally!

"Time to move!"

The Dragon moved inwards, finding a couple of Yōkai here and there and of course, knocking them out and binding them.

"When will I reach the end?" - He muttered, annoyed at the length and depth of the cave.

After those words, Ise saw the end of the cave. It was a huge, grey, rock-wall with a single metal door at the bottom of it. The door was seemingly made out of lead and other metals, some he could identify as being magical in a way.

The black door looked thick and heavy, glimmering with a dull light. A couple of ' _Onmyōdō_ ' talismans were attached to the door and even the wall at the sides.

(That's...quite the defense for a single intern...) - Although he couldn't understand what those spells did, he could see they were extremely strong.

(Okaaay...that's the first problem.) - He took note of the door at the furthest ends. Then he looked at the ones guarding it.

(All are Top-Tier High-Class, bordering Ultimate-Class. The one at the entrance of the door is an Mid-Tier Ultimate-Class.) - Issei was a bit amazed by this set up. - (This many guards just for you... It seems they really do not want you to get out.)

He looked at his surroundings, finding the five Yōkai.

(Well, being sneaky is no longer an option. A fight will definitely break out. I will need to take them out as fast as possible.)

He made his plan and looked at all the Yōkai present, trying to figure out their species and weaknesses.

(We have an ' _Enkō_ ' similar to a turtle twice as hard.) - He furrowed his brows, annoyed at that. - (Two ' _Furaribi_ ' creatures composed entirely of flames. While other two are Kitsunes, including the Ultimate-Class.)

He was glad he learned about them during the past week, thanks to that he could more or less guess their abilities.

"Man, why are we standing guard here? We could just kill her and end all of this!" - The amphibian creature made the comment, his voice sounded raspy and old, like a rusty piece of steel.

"You know why!" - The voice sounded irritated. - "We have been tasked with the honor of guarding her and after the party hosted by Amaterasu-sama is finished, they will execute her!" - One flame spirit rebutted the comment.

He looked like a cluster of flames in human form but without a face, even his voice sounded like a normal human.

"I know, but still! We could have gone to the party!" - The turtle didn't give up and talked back.

"No one among us would be able to go." - The weakest Kitsune said calmingly with his arms crossed. - "Although they say its open, many strings are pulled behind the curtain to let only important people in."

He was a white, single-tailed Kitsune, it had the appearance of a human male in his thirties wearing black training gear and black boots, contrasting with the color of his ears and tail.

"True! HaHaH—"

Everyone looked at the direction in which they sensed something. A man was walking out of the darkness of the cave.

Just a look from him made everyone stay on guard.

(...This is bad...) - The Ultimate-Class got rid of his lax stance and focused on the man in question.

The man in front of them seemed to be absurdly dangerous, but by the level of magic reserves he was above the Low-Tier Ultimate-Class. However, that didn't scare them, rather it was the aura he irradiated. It was dark, endless and suffocating.

"Move." - The cold voice of the man was heard, making everyones' hair stand on end.

"Who are you?!" - The Ultimate-Class Kitsune had a drop of sweat on his brow.

"Move." - Was Ise's answer.

"Y-You look extremely young, but you have so much Magic Reserves. Who...no... W-What are y-you?" - The older Kitsune asked, trying to hide his nervousness.

(I see... You're scared of my reserves!) - Issei's eyes glimmered with a cold light.

(Well, for us Dragons our Magic Reserves are our Aura and we certainly have a lot of advantages compared to all of the other races.) - He thought as a matter of fact. - (The density and purity of it making us hit harder and use it more frequently. And once our Aura awakens and takes physical form the effect is hundreds of times as big! So I don't blame you for being scared.)

"Answer me!" - The Yōkai was getting desperate, in his hand a couple of Talismans could be seen, and his body was covered in Tōuki.

(Physical Fighter.) - Issei deduced.

"He won't talk so let's beat the information out of him!" - The turtle told his team members with a smirk, a blue aura surrounding him.

"Senjutsu?" - Ise asked, intrigued by the subtle aura.

"Indeed!" - The turtle proudly smirked. - "Senjutsu is the manipulation of Natural Energy in our surroundings. And some are even capable of manipulating the Life-Force of living beings!"

"So what?" - Ise tried to anger the turtle to get more information out of him, after all, no books on Senjutsu were recorded on the Library.

A vein popped out of the turtle's face. - "Shut up!"

"Although it's not comparable to the Senjutsu of the new Ambassador, mine is pretty good! I can manipulate all natural water!" - Spilling the beans, his teammates facepalmed at the comment of the turtle.

"New Ambassador?" - Issei asked back, that title rang a bell.

"Yes! Kuroka-sama the new Ambassador!" - His voice was filled with adulation.

"Her Senjutsu is so powerful that she's capable of manipulating all natural elements while some of us at much can manipulate one or two! She's also the future wife of the War Hero the Sekiryuutei, Hyoudou Issei!"

"HaHaHaHaHa!" - Ise laughed loudly, his voice warm.

(You're something else completely Kuroka! I really don't know what to say!) - Happy at the memory of the black kitten he laughed in delight.

The rest were shocked by the tone in his voice but didn't let their guards down.

"Thanks for the laugh. But I still need to accomplish my mission." - Issei stopped his laugh and changed into his serious mode. - "I'll say it one more time. Move." - He summoned his Darkness and coated both hands muttering. - " **Rebellion...** "

A small portal made its appearance in front of his hand, and a short, curved blade that looked more like a short sword came out of it.

Seeing the Yōkai still on guard Issei thought. - (You're looking for it!)

With a speed not perceivable by the naked eyes Issei sped forward. Like a blur of black light he went for the turtle.

But in an instant, the strongest Kitsune appeared in front of the turtle, his entire forearm covered by a thick layer of Touki.

* _BAAAANNGGG!*_

He blocked the swing from the blade, but it didn't stop the ground from denting in, nor his arm to get cut by the blade.

(How strong is this guy?!) - The force of impact made him almost kneel, that guy possessed ridiculous strength!

(I need to use my Talismans!)

Twisting his hand to parry the attack and let it slip off his arm, he created a small gap to use his ' _Onmyōdō Arts_ '.

" _Create a Flood of Water. Order!_ " - From the talisman in his hand, a huge wave of water came forth.

"Now this is interesting, but I need to end it fast. Sorry." - Issei held back an arrogant smirk.

Issei coated his Blade in his **'** **Hell** **Blaze'** compressing them to fit the entire length of the blade.

" **Kami-Chigiri!** " - His voice was like that of an executioner.

Issei made a downwards slash and while swinging his blade, a huge mass of purple-black flames came from it in the shape of a curved slash.

* _FSSSSS!*_

The moment they touched the torrent of water coming for him, the flames completely evaporated it.

The fire continued its path not hindered by anything. The attack landed on every single Yōkai behind the Ultimate-Class, knocking them out to put it pretty.

This was a move he practiced since he discovered his **'** **Hell** **Blaze'** and the more he compressed the flames around the edge of the blade, the stronger the power he will get.

"Although I held back, it still caused a lot of damage." - He said nonchalantly while resting the blade on his shoulder.

Among the Yōkai, only the Ultimate-Class was still standing, covered in burns and barely breathing, but still standing. It seemed that he took the most of the attack on purpose, and reduced the damage for his partners. However, the rest were still wounded and unconscious on the floor.

"Impressive! You actually survived." - He complimented the Yōkai.

"M-M-Monster..." - The Kitsune muttered while falling to his knees.

"Monster?" - He sounded amused. - "Sorry, but that at most would be capable of wounding a Mid-Tier Ultimate-Class, at least at that level. The thing is, you're too weak for being an Ultimate-Class!" - He answered without a shred of mercy, the Yōkai just fainted after hearing the words.

"Well time to go for the door." - The Dragon walked past the unconscious Yōkais and reached the thick door covered in Talismans.

"Quite the spells." - He praised with a bored look on his eyes.

"Now, how am I going to destroy these?" - He mumbled as he touched a slightly burnt Talisman.

(Ho? Perhaps that could work.)

Issei placed himself into an Iaido stance, with his blade on his hip. He coated short sword in his Darkness but without making his flames appear.

(My Darkness is capable of vaporizing anything it touches. If I compressed it and use it on my blade then...)

* _SWOOOSHH!*_

He swung his sword across the talisman while holding his Darkness on the edge of it. It was after a moment that the talisman separated into two in a diagonally way.

"Success!" - He raised his hand up in glee.

"Now I only have to do it a couple more times!"

After repeating the process the door was left alone, not a single talisman on it but a problem was still there.

"They locked and reinforced the metal of it. Tch!" - He clicked his tongue annoyed. - "I don't think they would have left the key with any of them. If they had, a lot more Yōkais would be stationed here."

Issei then looked at the lock of the door, glistening with a dull grey light.

(Looks thick and tough, but I don't care!)

He summoned his **'** **Hell Blaze'** and surrounded his left hand with it until it covered his entire wrist.

* _CLAAANGG!_ *

The echo of metal getting struck spread throughout the cave.

Ise had punched the lock with all of his might, successfully denting a big part of it. Following this, the flames surrounding his arm heated the metal to the point it glowed red, effectively melting it little by little.

The Drake pushed his hand inwards liquifying the entire lock. And soon, the door opened.

"Easier than I thought..."

He extinguished the flames on his arm and looked around the room.

Not a single jail cell was seen. Instead, a woman was shackled against the wall, lifted around six or seven meters into the air.

Her limbs were perfectly bounded by chains, while the shackles' surface was entirely covered in Talismans that were coloured in a yellow light.

"...Talismans reinforced with overlapping Senjutsu spells." - Issei knitted his brows, amazed by the security inside.

He went closer and saw that in the wall behind her even more Talismans were present, adding _another_ layer of security.

All of them were arranged in the shape of a pentagram, each point of it perfectly aligned with her limbs and with her chest oriented towards the center of it.

(Are they really that desperate to keep her here?!) - She was the only one inside the entire jail! This seemed ridiculous!

Unfortunately, because there was no light, apart of the Onmyōdō spells inside this place, he couldn't really distinguish her appearance only her silhouette.

"Who... are... you?" - Her voice raspy, desperately in need of water.

"I'm the one that came to save you." - He answered her question.

"Why?" - She asked again, her red eyes could be seen in between the bangs of her hair that covered the entirety of her face.

"Because of two things." - He lifted to fingers.

"First." - He put down his index finger. - "Because I want you to be part of my team."

"And Second, because I hate how they talked about you!" - Issei's eyes glowed dangerously.

Ise was extremely angry. He never thought that just because of being the descendant of someone would they be treated so badly, chased throughout Japan as if a criminal.

The woman, on the other hand, was surprised by the tone of his voice, it was extremely odd. But more than that she could sense the feeling of anger he had at the mention of her treatment.

That piqued her interest.

"Why are you angry? Is not like you're being affected?" - She looked into those black and red eyes of his, slightly alarmed by them.

Issei, in exchange, saw those empty eyes of hers and was momentarily stumped, he knew those types of eyes...

How many times had he stared at those eyes in the mirror? How many times has he seen that empty look? That glare that showed that he gave up on everything?

Too many for his taste...

He stayed silent, trying to ignore the bad memories that he had. But, he refused to. He needed to be better, to face his past head-on and let it rest at last!

He promised to himself that for that to happen, he needed to help this woman. Forget everything else! If he couldn't help someone that had that look in their eyes! That expression on their face! Then, what was the point of getting out of that cave?!

Issei took a deep breath and steadied himself. His eyes filled with determination. He will help this woman! One way or another!

"It's simple." - He explained. - "The children do not carry the sins of the parents." - He stated while looking at her eyes.

"You're innocent and just because of being a descendant of Tamamo-No-Mae they treat you like a criminal? Like you're evil? What kind of bullshit is that?!"

The woman hid her extreme surprise by closing her eyes. Not once has someone called her _innocent_. Not once has someone been angry because of her. All of this was...new.

"They treat you like a plague, like some kind of bad omen. They leave you. Chase after you. Scorn and insult you, just because your related to someone?" - His voice filled with barely concealed fury. - "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"

"Is being related to someone bad? Is it your fault that she did what she had to do? And even if what she did was wrong, have you ever thought why she did it?" - His words echoed inside her mind.

"All books, stories and information state that she did it because she was pure evil. Because she was a malicious spirit that wished for everything to end. But, is it true?"

This man's words made her widen her eyes, she never expected for someone to think like that. His words definitely struck a really deep place inside her heart, of that she was sure.

"If so, then what about the people that do " _evil_ " things?" - He quoted his words. - "What about a mother that leaves her husband and takes her children with her? Is that wrong? Isn't leaving a kid without a father bad? Then why is it considered good when she does it and terrible when the man actually takes the kids? Why do people not look into it if it's the mother case? Why do they asume it's automatically good if she did it?"

"I'll tell you why, plain hypocrisy." - He scoffed while crossing his arms.

"What about the killing of a dictator? A terrorist? A rapist? A serial killer? Killing is indeed wrong but sometimes things need to be done, and a little talk won't cut it. More drastic measures are needed and even if it's _wrong,_ if it's _evil_ , it has to be done."

Issei walked from one side of the jail cell to the other. Constantly talking and moving around.

"There is no good person nor bad person in the world, because it's impossible to be entirely good to one or entirely bad to someone. So why do they assume that you're evil when they don't know you? Why do they speak like that behind your back when they don't even have the courage to get to know you?"

Issei was definitely angered by all of this. His entire speech was making the woman tremble with all of his words.

"What is right? What is wrong? In this mixed up world deciding what is right and wrong is not easy, and for some the definition is very different and even blurred." - He crossed both arms underneath his chest.

"Is it right to assume that because you're related to someone you're automatically evil? You're inherently bad?" - He stared at her with unyielding eyes.

"If so, then by that logic; if you're a Devil you're naturally bad? I mean, they are worldly renowned as the incarnations of evil." - He asked, mainly to himself.

"I can say by experience that there are indeed Devils that embody the very concept of " _evil._ " - He quoted the last words again. - "But there are also many good Devils who help others and wish for their happiness over their own. Who wish for peace and not any more senseless slaughter."

"So, in the end, even beings that were supposed to be evil by nature. That were depicted to be the worst of the worst this world has to offer. And were written as wicked in the most famous book across History. Turned out to be good. Then, with what kind of right do we have to judge others because of their race, their relatives, ancestors or even their way of thinking?" - He smirked.

"If we were even wrong about that. About who exactly is evil. Then, _what_ else were we wrong about?" - He paused for some brief seconds to let his words sink in.

"How about the other side of the coin? What about the _good?"_ \- He moved his left hand and placed it on his chin.

"Is being related to someone kind, courageous, gentle and just overall good makes you the good guy?" - Sarcasm flooded his voice. - "Does it make you the Hero saving the world? The knight slaying the Evil Dragon?"

"The answer is... No." - His voice was serious.

"I have met Descendants of Heroes. Angels, Humans and Dragons that were supposed to be Just, supposed to be kind but in the end, they all turned _evil._ \- His words made her keep her silence.

"They kidnapped a mother and took her away from her daughter using her for cruel, ruthless experiments."

"They fell from their grace because of wishing to start a war and wanting to prove they were the best of all the races."

"They killed because of greed and envy, all for personal gain."

"They fell to their wrath and their pride causing destruction and chaos. Even slaughtering anything that stood in their path." - He narrated.

"The ones that were supposed to be good, that had Legends speaking _volumes_ of their greatness. Of their kindness. Of their benevolence, did even more evil and atrocities than the so-called _villains_." - He shrugged his shoulders.

"By that, you should learn that you can't just go judging everyone by somebody else's rules. By their so-called appearances and their outside looks." - He was brutally honest.

The woman was awestruck by his words, she knew he was right!

Everything he said made sense, too much in fact. Even her, that all of her life has been hunted down like a dog, that has been called evil, abomination, aberration, knew that his words were right!

So in her heart and mind, a little bud of hope started to blossom. Maybe there are people that were different from the rest? This man in front of her was proving that to her right now.

"If you let yourself be controlled like that, you'll just become a puppet that can't make decisions of its own. You have to live with your own rules."

Issei then stopped walking around and walked as close as he could towards her.

"Don't let those words hurt you!" - He pointed at her. - "They are just side characters, people of no importance. Their words are just useless blabbering, dumb words from people that don't know what they're talking about."

"What matters is what you think about yourself. What you truly think you are. Are you a mindless beast that rampages everywhere it goes? Are you a saint that helps the poor and afflicted? It doesn't matter, because, in the end, you're the one that gives value, that gives meaning to your life."

Maybe all this talk touched a soft spot of his.

The woman was startled by all of this. She couldn't understand. Why was he saying all of this?! Why was he saying it to her!? What did he gain from it?!

Her mind was made a mess from everything she just experienced in such a small amount of time. So, in the end, using all of her strength, she yelled at him, asking for answers.

"Why?! Why are you saying these things?! How would you know I'm not evil like they say?! Why do you say that I'm not bad like they say?!" - She screamed at him, tears falling from her face.

"You are someone that's different from what they say. I know it since those eyes of yours are not those of a mindless beast wishing for chaos. Or those that went mad and wish for blood." - His voice was calm.

"You just have been alone for far too long on a world that rejects you. That's why I want you to have a sense of worth, I want _you_ to see that not all the world has to offer is bad." - He further explained his words.

In the beginning, he only came for her to join his team, but the moment he saw those eyes of hers he changed his mind.

"Those eyes of yours hold no evil but they also don't hold anything to live for. They are the exact same eyes _I_ used to have. And they disgust me!"

"I'm disgusted at my former self for giving up! For trying to end his life more than once, just because things were extremely bad! I will not let you end the same way as I did. I will not let you give up on your life, just like I once did!"

She simply widened her eyes, tears could be seen falling from them hitting the dull, grey floor of the cave. His words, his attitude, they definitely reached her.

"You are a just normal woman that has just been through too much."

Those words seemed to affect her much more than before.

"Worth is not what others tell you. Worth is what you think about yourself. If you think that, like they say, you're nothing, then you're nothing!" - He shrugged.

"Think about youself as peerless, as a match to no one, because if you think like that sooner or later you'll be like that! Do not compare yourself with others that's just an insult to yourself!"

Ise spoke about his wisdom in this life he has experienced. In the past he always compared himself to others; to Vali like a warrior and as a rival, to Saji as a human, to Kiba as a man, to Sairaorg as a Devil...

Because of that, he couldn't reach his full potential. Because of that he never focused on himself, always thinking in what others would say about himself and because of that he never made a path of his own.

That changed!

That changed that moment inside that cave. The moment the Pieces were slowly peeled off his body. That moment when he felt that he was gaining his freedom back!

He gained his senses back then and stopped caring about what others thought of him.

Because of their thoughts, of the ones they said they loved him, he suffered too much for far too long!

Right now he was walking the path he thinks is better. By knowing more, learning more and experiencing more, he will be better! And by being better, he would help people that just like him, have been through too much, just like the woman in front of him.

That's what he thinks, and he knows he's right. If someone tells him otherwise, then fuck them!

The female stayed silent, apparently, his words made her open her eyes.

"You want to help me?" - She cautiously asked.

"Of course!" - He answered back without hesitation.

"And what about that team of yours?" - She asked back.

"Oh...right, about that." - He suddenly scratched the back of his head.

"In the beginning, I thought only to ask you to join me, but after seeing you it changed. Let's say I would like to see those eyes with the light of life again." - He explained. - "So I'll help you even if you don't decide to join my team." - He answered as his black and red eyes shone brightly. Those eyes, although frightening, were enough proof for the girl.

(Maybe I could trust you. If you help me achieve it then not only would you gain my trust but—) - She kept the last part of her words to herself.

"Then I promise you that if you help me, I'll join your team! - (And more...)

That statement made Ise smile and say. - "What do you want me for? Milady!"

He joked to relax the ambient, the woman smiled at him.

"First, I want you to take me away from here! Free me from my prison!"

"Sure, consider it done." - He said with a confident smirk on his face.

"Second, I want you to help me get back a treasure that belonged for generations to my family!" - That peaked Ise's interest but still nodded.

"Okay. But what is that treasure?" - He asked while tilting his head.

"A treasure that was given to Tamamo-No-Mae by the bastard son of Emperor Toba!" - She told him.

"And that is?"

She smirked at the question.

"One of the three greatest treasures of Japan. Representing ' _Movement_ ', the ' _Yasakani-No-Magatama!'_ "

"Whaaatt?!" - A long-lost treasure was always on the hands of Tamamo-No-Mae!

"How did she get that?! Wasn't it lost a long time ago?!"

She smirked at the look in his eyes. - (It seems that he's not only cold, wise and kind, but also goofy in a sense. Cute...)

"I'll tell you." - But before she could explain the story, Ise interrupted her.

"Wait. Before that, I should bring you down from that place." - He noticed how she was still hanging from the wall.

"You think you're capable?" - She taunted him. - "This chains are entirely composed from Onmyōdō Spells, quite strong ones at it. They are also reinforced by Senjutsu. Plus the spell behind me is designed to suppress my body and power." - She explained that the things holding her were quite the big deal.

Ise smirked. - "If I can't do at least that much, then I wouldn't have accepted your conditions." - He replied back at her.

" **Rebellion!** " - He intoned the name of the swords.

Four of the seven made their appearance, floating around him in a circle. The sight surprised the female, but before she could ask he whispered under his breath. - " **Hell** **Blaze...** "

The four swords got covered by purple-black flames.

He pointed his right hand forward and the four swords were launched as if shot from a gun. They turned into black missiles that held a huge amount of power.

* _KINN! KIIN! KINN! KIIIN!*_

They blades hit the four chains and cut through them as if made out of butter. Soon, they impaled the pentagram behind her and started to slowly burn it.

She was so surprised by this that she didn't notice the moment she started to fall.

Issei sped towards her and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Are you okay?" - He asked.

"My Hero!~" - She teased him a bit while placing a hand on her head, trying to be dramatic.

"Already teasing me woman?" - He was unaffected by her teasing, since he had experience in the field he grew accustomed to it.

"I have a name you know?" - She told him while turning her head that was still covered by her bangs, her voice still as raspy as before.

"And what may that name be?" - He smiled slightly when she saw her like that, it seems she was getting better faster than he thought.

"Oh?" - She was amused. - "Flirting with me already? Quite the player!~" - She tried to teased him again.

"Since we're going to be together for some time I guess we should know our names, better than calling you woman, right?" - He ignored her tease, managing to get a glare from her.

(I do not think I can't make you blush!) - She came up with a new goal inside of her head.

"I'll tell you my name first." - He said, maybe as a chivalrous sign.

"My name is Hyoudou Issei."

Those words made the woman widen her eyes. - "The Sekiryuutei!? What are you doing here?!"

She was surprised that the famous War Hero was here in the middle of nowhere! She was also stunned. Why did he seem so different than what they described him as?

(What exactly are you doing here?! Freeing a prisoner from an allied Faction!?) - She was thinking when she heard Ise's response.

"That's for me to know and you to figure out." - He teased back, a smirk on his face.

(Hmph! That won't be enough!) - She thought as she left his embrace and touched the floor with her legs. She was only wearing a badly damaged black dress that reached above her knees, but she wasn't able to stand-up for long before her legs gave in.

However, she was caught before she hit the ground. - "It seems you lost the feeling on your legs for being chained for too long."

"You seem entirely different than from what I heard." - She voiced her thoughts.

This shocked Ise momentarily, but smirked. - "HaHaHa. And how did they describe me as?" - Still holding her in a princess carry.

He then noticed how she had quite the big bust and white skin, a pity that her face was still covered by her hair and only her red eyes could be seen in between her bangs.

"As a kind but a dumb, perverted boy that didn't know much of the world!"

Taking a look at Ise, she giggled as she saw his eyebrow twitch.

"And how do you see me as?" - He was interested in how he looked right now.

"As a cold and serious man that has been through much, but also kind and... good." - She explained how she saw him as.

"Quite the difference right?"

"You have no idea!" - She quickly answered, her legs gaining the strength she lost.

Seeing this he let her go, she was finally able to stand up.

"I also do not sense a Sacred Gear within you so how could I be sure that you're the one you say you are?" - She raised her guard up, her voice sharpening and also turning colder.

"In the short time we've met you should already know what my character is like." - He told her back with his piercing eyes and cold voice.

For a moment she looked at him, scanning him from top to bottom trying to find any vestige of a lie, but she couldn't find a thing.

She then sighed. - "Haaaa..." - She sounded exhausted.

"Yes, you're right. You do not seem like someone that lies, too prideful for that." - She shrugged her shoulders and started to move around, trying to regain the feeling in her legs.

She quickly turned around and looked into his eyes, seemingly thinking about something.

"What happened by the way? I don't think the words of them were wrong, it's impossible for all not to notice how your character truly is."

"Let's say...life hasn't been kind to neither of us." - He told her while looking directly at her eyes.

(What's with those eyes? They seem so...dark when he mentioned it.) - She thought with intrigue and reached a conclusion. - "I see...you also suffered, huh?" - Issei just nodded his head.

Staying still she reached her hand towards her head. Then, she grabbed her hair and moved it from her face while starting to comb it.

After some time, she turned towards Ise which seemed to be thinking about who knows what.

"Well, I'll tell you my name as well!" - Lifting the tattered hems of her dress she replied. - "My name is Benikomichi Fuuki, a Kyuubi-No-Yōko!"

As she said that she spread her tails like a fan. Nine tails with red and black fur were all shinning in the darkness of the cave.

The red color was very striking, it looked more opaque and less bright but not less impacting, her ears were the same. But what took his breath away was her beauty. Even to him, that had lived with extreme beauties, he was still awestruck.

"HoHo." - She noticed the looks he was giving her. - "Perhaps, amazed by my beauty?~" - She asked him, while gifting him a sensuous smirk. But, she never expected his response.

"Of course." - He replied instantly without a hint of lust nor pervertness.

Hearing his words she shied away, turning her whole body around while hiding the blush on her cheeks. She thought he would be more... timid or reserved but it appeared that he was very direct and honest.

(Don't say it like thaaaatt!) - Screaming inside her head she tried to calm down, meanwhile, Ise was still amazed by her.

(She seems to be kind and has a good personality, with a few faults here and there, but no one is perfect.) - He shrugged. - (She's also an extremely beautiful woman, better looking than all women I have met... Quite the finding!)

Fuuki looked like a young woman not older than nineteen. She had pitch black hair approaching inky black like the dead of the night.

Her hair was extremely long to the point that it passed her waist, it was also tied by a large red ribbon at the end of it. A couple of bangs fell down to her face but they didn't mask her beauty at all.

Her eyes were an opaque red in color and looked like a pair of shinning rubies. She had a delicate face, white like pearl teeth and her skin was a milky white without a single blemish, it looked soft to the touch and just perfect in all aspects.

Her lips were kind of dry maybe because she was trapped in here, but still had a healty pink to them.

Her body was... exuberant. Every place that needed to be full was filled to the brim, whether her bust or her rear they were perfect. Her waist was tight and delicate, it gave her a sexy look just like a seductress in an ancient tale.

Her black dress had red accents and was held by two straps by the shoulders, they looked thin and exposed a large part of her shoulders and bust. It was frilled at the end of it and it made it look elegant and classy even though it was broken at some places.

"Hello?" - She spoke to him again.

"Sorry, lost in thought." - Issei quickly came back to himself when he heard her voice.

"Lets hear the story of the treasure, I'm interested!" - He told her with stars in his eyes.

(He can also be kind of childish with the things he takes interest in, huh? Noted!)

"Fine by me." - She positioned herself in a relaxed and carefree stance, and began to tell her story.

"You know about the story of Tamamo-No-Mae right?"

He only nodded.

"Let's say the reason she was chased all over Japan wasn't because of the illness of the Emperor." - She began explaining. - "Rather because of her beauty, she was given a treasure by Konoe, the bastard son of the emperor not noticing how Emperor Toba discovered this."

Ise was extremely interested in the story, after all, it could change History!

"Blinded by his greed, he abused and tormented Tamamo-No-Mae until she could no longer handle it. Left with no other choice, she cursed him and he fell terribly ill." - Ise only crossed his arms under his chest and listened intently.

"The sorcerers noticed this and asked for all physicians in the Empire to come and check the emperor, they miserably failed. The Sorcerers noticing their failure discovered that he was made ill by someone close to him!" - Issei nodded again, that part followed History to the letter.

"Then they made a ritual in which everyone was forced to participate, my ancestor included. She, during the ritual, was discovered to be a fox Yōkai but before she could explain, the shameless emperor went into a fury and started to attack her!" - A red aura covered Fuuki's body depicting fury and hatred.

"Left with no choice she vanished from the Emperor's home. The Emperor knew that she still had the treasure and deployed over 80,000 of his troops to search for her! The people thought that she was evil and that she wanted to usurp the throne and not a single person gave her a chance to explain her side of the story! So without any questions asked, they chased after her." - Much more aura was released from her, making the cave tremble slightly.

"She was chased and chased for years! Until she was found in the east, at Nasuno. But before being discovered, she married a Kitsune Yōkai that believed her side of the story leaving behind a child, that child was my mother." - She smiled sadly the aura surrounding her still vibrant and active.

"Little time after, Tamamo-No-Mae was killed by an archer of the Empire and her body was brought back to the Emperor. However, the treasure was left to my mother as a gift for her birth, so nothing was found on her."

She calmed herself down after sometime, Ise didn't mind her reaction at all rather it would be bad if she didn't feel a thing.

"The treasure was kept on her person. And after many years she grew and decided to stay in Nasuno and live her life there. Time passed as she lived her life there that was until she found a male that fell in love with her beauty. Being always alone and seeing someone treat her with kindness, she fell in love at first sight and in time they both had me." - She hid a sad smile from Issei as she turned her body and gave him her back.

"My father soon left because he only lusted after her beauty and already satisfied his desire while my mother was left alone, pregnant with me." - She bit her lips. - "She died while giving birth to me. Luckily, my cries were heard by an old human couple nearby which found me." - She had a small smile when she mentioned that couple.

"Only two things were with me; first was a diary which recorded everything about my Ancestor and my mother, the second was the treasure." - She explained with a calm tone of voice. - "And the Yasakani-No-Magatama was left with me in the shape of a bracelet.

"Years passed and I was raised in secret by the human couple, adopting their last name; 'Benikomichi'." - She was proud of that. - "After some time, they passed away due to age and I... was left alone." - Issei understood that emotion, being left alone by everyone you cared for... It felt terrible.

"I read my mother's diary and learned more about ' _Senjutsu_ ', ' _Youjutsu_ ' and ' _Touki_ '. And since the treasure was with me I also learned how to use it. However, after some time I left it in Nasuno to honor my mother and grandmother and left to roam Japan." - She took a peak at Ise's eyes, yet nothing could be found in those piercing eyes.

"I traveled all over Japan and then heard about the Beast that destroyed a part of it. I went back to Nasuno and collected the treasure but I was discovered by some Yōkais and was ambushed. And as I continued to fight while being injured, they called for backup and captured me, the treasure was taken from me and I was left here... to wait for my execution."

She finished her explanation while looking at Ise, trying to find a trace of pity in his eyes or some emotion like that.

"...I see..." - Those were his only words.

Some minutes in silence passed went by, neither saying anything.

"Don't worry, we'll get the treasure back. And I promise you that you will be happier now, or at least, you won't be bored with me." - Issei broke the uncomfortable silence as he made his promise to her, shocking Fuuki even further.

Nodding, she simply said - "...Thank you." - She started to believe in him a little bit more.

"So where is the treasure at?" - He asked, hoping his guesses about the location were wrong.

"Thanks to the dumb guys guarding me, I figure out that it will be exposed this day on a ridiculously important party!"

(Fuck me! Just my luck!) - He was angered, he had his suspicions about the location but it really turned out to be at the party!

"Fine." - He made a promise, so as a man he should keep it.

"Are you sure? It's not a normal party—"

Interrupted by Ise, he said. - "Yes, Yes, I know about it. A party in which even Gods may appear, of course, the Japanese Shinto is a must."

His words made her widened her eyes. - "You knew?"

"Had my suspicions." - He answered in a flash, getting a small smile from her.

(A man of his word at least.) - She started to like him just a tiny bit more.

"Where is it at?" - He asked back

"According to the loud voice of the Yōkai outside, on ' _Kyoto's Imperial Palace!'_

(Of-fucking-course!) - A place guarded by many, a really safe location more so if Gods were going.

"Do you know anything more?" - He asked, trying to get as much information as he could.

"Yes, it will start today at Midnight and no invitation is needed!" - Aside from that, she knew nothing more.

"Good we have time to prepare, we should leave!" - He soon concluded. When he came here it was already late afternoon so he didn't know the time exactly.

"How so? The place is filled with Yōkai and when I leave, the cave has an alarm that will alert everyone." - She asked, kind of worried.

"Every Yōkai has been knocked out by me. About the alarm, is there something you can do? I can take us out of here but the alarm will still activate." - He could use his Darkness and take the both of them out of here but the problem was the alarm.

"Maybe I can... but I will need some time." - She told him while a hand was on her chin.

"How much?"

"Not sure." - Her voice held a hint of doubt, she wasn't exactly at her best right now.

However, since he had nothing to lose and he promised her, he decided to try it out. - "Fine, lets get out of here, you can check the alarm outside."

Walking side by side they approached the big, semi-broken lead door.

He just pushed it open and said while doing a bow he said. - "Ladies first."

She smirked and replied with a flirty tone. - "My, what a gentleman~" - And proudly walked out the door, Ise behind her.

Reaching the main entrance of the cave, she stopped.

"This is as far as I can go without activating the alarm." - She told Ise who nodded while putting his hands in his coat's pockets.

"Time to work. I hope I didn't get too rusty." - A feral grin adorned her face.

Soon after her aura increased and started to surround her body, it was an opaque red in color with a tint of gold and silver.

"Good aura." - Ise complemented, as a response he only got a wink from her.

"Lets start!" - Her aura increased even more, shaking the cavern.

Many magic circles with the shapes of hexagons appeared on her wrists, all of them were of different colors but shared a similarity. They had the ' _Taijitu_ ' symbol at the center.

They varied in color; from red to blue, to green, to white, to black and a myriad of other colors.

(What are they?) - Issei seemed interested in those hexagons.

"These circles are what we Yōkai use to manipulate Senjustu more effectively, the color represents the element. Since I'm pretty good at it I have all affinities including the rare light and dark affinities!" - The hexagons started to spin clockwise around her wrists.

"Different Yōkai have different attributes. While Youjutsu is based more on changing the flow of energy on the battlefield, that's why the illusions are that realistic. And Touki is just the excessive Life Force you have, it's useful for physical attacks, defense and any kind of enhancement but aside from that, it's not _that_ good."

Issei finally understood more about those three mentioned powers. - "I see... Thank you."

"It was nothing." - After that she started to concentrate even more. The hexagons started to spin faster and a pale, whitish aura surrounded her.

(Touki!) - Having fought against Sairaorg he knew Touki pretty well. - (Does that mean she's capable of using Youjutsu as well?) - He started to think, if she could use the former two then the third shouldn't be a problem.

* _CRAAACCKKKK!_ *

While in his thoughts he heard a sound, it was that of glass cracking and falling apart.

Looking at his surroundings he witnessed as space itself started to crack and many _pieces_ began falling down to earth.

The effect lasted seconds, and before anyone noticed the place returned to what it once was.

"There... done!" - A little bit tired, Fuuki said to Ise which only nodded his head with a slight smile on the edge of his mouth.

"Good! Now we can leave."

"How will you do that?" - Interested she walked closer to him.

"Watch." - He responded as his Darkness started to cover a part of his left arm.

She was surprised, she didn't know what that stain was but she sensed how Issei's power increased exponentially.

(What is that?!) - She was shocked, never would have she thought that the little black spot would increase his overall strength by that much.

Ise ignored her surprised face and concentrated in using his Darkness.

 **"Hell Gate!"** \- He mumbled and in front of them a dark portal in the shape of a circle made its appearance, some purple lightning could be seen on its edges and frankly, it looked creepy.

"Lets go." - He said to her which didn't answer.

"What is that?"

"You can say it's like a magic circle but much stronger." - He synthesized the purpose of the ' **Hell Gate.** '

"Come, let's go before someone notices something's wrong." - He walked towards the portal and soon vanished.

"...It appears that I won't get bored while being around you."

She gathered her courage and went inside it, after she went through, the portal disappeared as if it never existed in the first place.

* * *

.

The portal appeared at the top of Fushimi-Inari, since it was already night time the location was already closed to the public.

A man appeared at the top of the mountain and just stood there looking at his surroundings. Next, a beautiful woman appeared next to him.

"That... was weird." - She commented as she went out the portal.

"Well, it does its job." - Ise talked back and shrugged.

Fuuki was just staring at every location the scenery had to offer, her eyes looked practically filled with sparkles.

(It seems that after being in that place for too long she missed the outside world.) - He stared at her for a while until she recovered.

He smirked. - "Looked enough?" - While teasing her a little, Ise smirked.

"Hmph!" - She blushed slightly and turned her head to the left.

(Quite the cute response.) - He discreetly smiled.

While placing a hand on her hip and looking at him, she asked. - "Where are we?"

"At the top of Fushimi-Inari." - He replied instantly.

She showed a surprised expression, interesting location they ended up in. - "I see... quite the useful ability you have." - She stood at his side and replied.

"It can also hide the presence of the ones that walk through it." - He added, only getting the twitch of her eyebrow as an answer, oh how he liked messing with her.

"Where is the imperial palace?" - He asked since last time he came he didn't go there.

"Weeeell, around North/East from here. I think..." - She made a more or less sign with her hand.

Issei deadpanned at her antics. - "We still have a lot of time left so don't sweat the small things. We should have around four hours by the position of the moon." - While looking at the moon she made her guess.

He decided to push the problem for later.

He walked towards the stone staircase and turned around to tell her. - "Well, want to get out of here?"

"Sure, I'd love to." - Fuuki tagged along and stood at his side.

Together, they walked all the way down to the Main Gate. Seeing the beautiful scenery and the light of some torches illuminating the path and the ' _Torii_ '. They walked side by side enjoying the atmosphere.

Then Fuuki spoke to Ise. - "How are we going to get inside?"

The question was soon answered by Ise. - "Through the main door." - He replied back and soon, he explained his plan.

"I guess you can use Youjutsu?" - He asked her.

"That and Onmyōdō Arts" - She smiled with pride.

The comment made Ise think. - (You're capable of everything aren't you?)

"We'll get formally dressed, after that we will arrive at the entrance. Someone will ask us who we are, use your illusions to make him think we're someone else and confuse him. The moment we get inside we will search for the information we need, find the treasure and get out as fast as possible." - He plan was simple.

"And if we get found out?" - She questioned, worried about the possible outcome.

"We go for the treasure and fight our way out!" - His eyes sparked ever so slightly as he said that.

(I can work with that.) - She loved the simple plan. Easy to understand and to put into practice.

"After getting out of here we should change our clothes. Unless, you can cast an Illusion on us and make us wear formal clothing?" - He probed her with an amused smile.

She rolled her eyes and nodded. As she used her powers, a layer of mist covered them both from head to toe. After a solid minute the mist dispersed and left a perfectly suited Ise with his hair combed back.

He wore a formal, onyx-colored suit with a black suit-vest all accompanied with a crimson dress shirt. He also removed his tie and left the last button of his shirt open. The suit looked form-fitting and made him stand out from many, combined with his roguish looks and vibe, and he will catch many glances.

Fuuki, on the other hand, had her hair cascading like a waterfall down her back.

She wore a cocktail dress in an opaque red color and a few black accents. It was open at the side, letting her beautiful leg up to her thigh be seen. She wore a pair of black high-heels that raised her height to almost match Ise, which stood just a little above 1,85cm or 6 feet 1 inch.

"You are amazing." - He complimented her while moving around, checking the suit out.

She only smiled proudly, but a little blush adorned her cheeks making her look even more astounding than before.

"With this we're ready, but we still have a little bit of extra time." - He told her as he walked next to her.

"True, maybe we should do something?" - Her right fore-finger rested on her cheek.

Issei approached her and asked. - "What to have dinner?"

She was amazed by his courage. Nevertheless, she leaned forwards and towards his ear. "Already asking me for a date?~ _Iseee_ ~" - She whispered huskily as she licked her lips.

He remained the same, not a hint of shock on his face. - "Maybe we can get to know each other a little better." - He shrugged. - "Plus, I doubt we will eat anything during the party."

He offered his arm to the beauty as a chivalrous sign.

She took it and said. - "True. It sounds like a good idea."

Then both of them walked off from the mountain and left.

While still grabbing his arm she asked. - "What would you like to eat?"

He turned to look at her and responded. - "How about we celebrate that we got you out of jail."

"That sounds as if you bailed me out!"

"Technically, I did."

She hit him. - "Don't be a smartass." - Her face looked quite cute in Ise's eyes.

"Then lets eat, Milady!" - He bowed again to her, this time making her giggle.

"Lead the way. _Ise_ ~"

He happily lead her to a fancy-looking restaurant in which they ate ' _Kyo-Kaiseki'_ , elegant and expensive food here in Kyoto.

It consisted of local Kyoto cuisine presented in an extremely elegant design and had twelve courses. The plates were kind of small but because of the quantity it was rather filling.

They talked about random stuff; their likes, dislikes, food, music and the world traveling plan of Ise which grabbed the attention of the Fox. However, they did not delve deeper into each other lives.

Ise knew that she was giving him a chance to gain her trust, after all, they just met today. But he believed that after talking for quite some time they became a bit closer, maybe friends.

Both of them enjoyed the food and as soon as the clock said thirty minutes to midnight, they parted from the restaurant and walked towards the Imperial Palace, that thanks to the waiter who told them the direction.

The Palace wasn't that far away from the restaurant they were at so the walk wasn't long.

Shortly the building they were looking for made its appearance but it looked closed, empty and desolate. They knew something wasn't right.

"What do you think?" - Ise asked the Kyuubi as she looked at the direction.

"A barrier and an Illusion." - Those were her words.

"I see. A barrier for security and an illusion for fooling the normal humans."

"Quite smart. That should be correct." - She smiled at him, making Ise lift the corner of his mouth.

"Let's go!" - The woman was excited, she grabbed his arm and dragged him to a random direction.

After a couple of meters they passed the barrier.

* * *

.

The entire Palace was lit with bright lights and torches at its sides, the entire place was filled with voices an classical music.

"It seems people already arrived." - Ise told her as he looked at the huge line at the gate.

"It appears we need to lineup." - She crossed her arms and muttered clearly annoyed.

Issei only laughed. - "Ha! What are you saying? We're already on the list, there's no need for that!" - He winked at her.

She caught his indirect and also smirked.

Walking towards the big gate they approached the Yōkai in charge, it was a ' _Karasu-tengu_ ' a crow demon, it had the apperance of an old male figure and wore a classic and cheap-looking tuxedo.

"Who are you?" - He asked the moment he saw them.

The beauty at that moment did her magic. The man was looking straight at them with hidden anger and then, like magic, he changed his expression and very amicably remembered them.

"A great pleasure to see you again Miss, Mr. Benikomichi. Please, follow me! The party is about to begin."

The looked at each other smiled and said - ""Thank You.""

Following after him the Yōkai began speaking. - "Since you just arrived I'll give you a brief rundown."

They nodded their heads, right now the plan was going perfectly.

"The Seiryōden, Kogosho, Ogakumonjo and Otsunegoten is were the party will mainly be held. Right now we entered through the Okurumayose Gate and soon we'll reach the Seiryōden. Inside you're free to go to any of the locations I mentioned." - He bowed as he explained, the both of them just nodded their heads.

After those words they followed after him and while the Palace.

The roads were made out of gravel and pieces of stone, but the building in the distance looked impressive.

It looked like an ancient Japanese house, but everything looked brand new. The walls were painted in a pearly white while the inclined ceiling was black. A lot of wooden pillars could be seen supporting the ceiling, all painted red. A lot of the Palace was also red, of course, aside from the main buildings.

They stopped walking and the Karasu-Tengu opened the door in front of them. - "Have an excellent night!" - After saying that, he left.

They crossed the door and closed it soon after.

They were inside of a classic hall, like those in black and white movies. The entire room was humongous and many people wearing suits, tuxedos and dresses were here as well. Some were chatting amicably, others were trying to seduce women and the rest were present for business rather than pleasure.

The Hall was illuminated by many fancy oil lamps that hung from the walls giving it a traditional and refined look to all the venue.

"We need to figure out where the treasure is located." - Issei finally talked, he turned his head around and made eye-contact with the beauty that was grabbing his arm.

"Yes, lets separate and find the information we're looking for." - The woman agreed and proposed to him, Issei just nodded his head, also in agreement.

They decided, so as to not make anyone suspicious, to give each other their farewells as if they were a couple looking for their friends. Of course, all of it was for teasing the other but neither of them would agree to that.

As they separated from each other, Issei went towards the crowd of people and began walking around.

(Man this place is big and filled to the brim.) - He looked at his surroundings in which either a Yōkai or other beings were present.

Some Human Mages were also here and even High-Class Devils, Angels and Fallen were present. Seeing them, Issei was a bit surprised maybe, because they finally finished their work, they came to the party to find something relaxing to do. He couldn't think of another reason other than that.

He continued to walk with his hands in his pockets, occasionally replying a greeting with a nod of his head or a small smile.

A few sneaky glances from the female population were thrown at him, after all, he looked pretty good. His suit was well worn on him and although he still looked a little skinny, he was working on it.

His face was sharp and even cold, appearing indifferent. His black and red eyes scared a couple of people while to others just made them uncomfortable. His mark was proudly shinning in a low violet light at the left side of his forehead.

(How am I supposed to find the information I need while not making anyone suspicious nor revealing my identity?) - He was trying to find the answer to his question until he saw a place where he instinctively knew he could find the information he was looking for.

"The Bar." - He smirked.

The bar was simple-looking, pitch black shelves rested against the wall reaching all the way up to the ceiling. Many different bottles rested on the shelves behind the bar top, they had things he recognized like Whiskey, Vodka, Gin and Rum, to things he didn't know like Zambuca, Mezcal among others.

The bar top was a light wooden color that was recently polished and had many different glasses rested on top of it. A couple of men were drinking near the top of the bar and were either talking to their friends or waiting for their drinks

Issei walked closer and stopped looking around when he saw the bartender.

The bartender asked - "What would you like to drink?"

Issei was sweating on the inside, he didn't know drinks too well. He then remembered a movie he watched some time ago and said.

"A Negroni." - He replied calmly. He didn't know how it tasted but he needed to appear like he knew.

Then he approached the bartender, who was calmly preparing his drink, and started his conversation - "A rough night?"

The bartender smirked and said. - "Yeah, many people came here even a couple of Gods came to me for a drink. Scared the crap out of me!"

(So gods really did come, huh.) - He didn't like the sound of that.

"Wow, that sounds tough. Were they any good? Or were they rather bad?" - Issei was a little interested in the topic of the talk.

The Bartender thought of his answer for a second, he was a young man who appeared to be less than thirty and by his magical reserves it seemed that he was a human mage.

"They acted quite humbly not at all like one would think." - The bartender was stirring his drink and soon he gave it to him.

Issei received it with his hand and asked. - "Which Gods were they? It seems weird to me for them to act like that." - He then put the drink into his lips and drank from it.

(Please, don't be bad!) - He prayed inside his head as the liquid entered his mouth.

He widened his eyes, looked at the glass and simply stared at it with an indecipherable look in his eyes.

(Where were you my whole life!?) - It tasted quite good, the bittersweat flavor left on the mouth made you want more.

"About that..." - He sounded unsure. - "I believe they were Amaterasu-sama and Susanoo-sama. Other gods also came but I couldn't figure out who they were." - He told Ise while cleaning a glass.

(I see so more gods aside from the Shinto Pantheon.) - He drank another mouthful of his drink.

"And what about the so-called treasure? They did say it's something important, do you know about it?" - He asked the question he needed the answer most.

"Hmmm..." - The bartender was thoughtful. - "About that... I don't know they were quite zealous about the name, but I do know that it's inside the ' _Shishinden!'_ " - He told Ise while lifting a finger up, his face had a satisfied smile.

"Oh?"- Issei was intrigued by his answer. - "So inside the ceremonial building, quite suiting." - He smiled as he finished his drink in a single movement.

He looked at his empty glass and said. - "Another one please." - The bartender only nodded his head.

A moment after he received the drink, bid his farewell and left the bar, now searching for the beauty that was accompanying him.

(Well, I already know in which place is located at, but I don't know how much security it has.) - He walked the same way he did when he first came here, his drink still on his hands.

(I need to find Fuuki and continue the plan.) - He kept walking but what he didn't expect was to find a couple of people he knew rather well.

(Well, that's just my luck!) - He thought as he saw a woman he knew talk among her friends.

She was a female with long black hair that was let down and a pair of violet eyes. She was wearing a short blue dress and was talking with some people he _knew_ were extremely powerful, they appeared to be her friends.

(That's Serafall for you.) - He smirked as he watched the blue-dressed beauty.

At her side, a woman with beautiful red hair similar to a flame was giggling while covering her mouth, a glass of champagne on her left hand.

She looked like someone easy to talk with and was wearing a beautiful, form-fitting red dress with gold contrasts on it. Her sleeves were separated from her dress and they seemed to be like long silk-like gloves that reached her elbows.

She gave the impression of a refined, high-class lady while not being arrogant at all. Her dress reached just below her knees, showing a bit of her skin where gold, needle-like high heels covered her calves and her feet.

The other person talking with them was also a woman. She had silver-white hair while a crescent moon hair ornament was tying her glossy hair into a high ponytail that flowed gently down her back and just above her hips.

She had a beauty that was similar to a fairy, it was as if she would break with the slightest of touches. Like a crystal statue that one could only look at and sigh.

Her face was a creamy white with a healthy blush on her cheeks, her eyes appeared as two sapphire crystals and her long light blue dress ended in a frill and didn't expose even the slightest of skin. Her bust was big even with the dress covering it and the only skin she showed was that of her neck that was only adorned with a long, expensive-looking white necklace.

(...Goddesses.) - Issei noted. - (That amount of power, it's no mistake...) - He was a bit worried.

He decided to take his distance as his eyes never left the three women. He was trying to figure out what they were talking about but a figure behind them surprised him so much he almost popped his eyes from his skull.

(What are you doing here Vali?!)

A silver-haired youth was behind them, he wore a pure white suit with a light blue dress shirt and like him, he didn't have a tie.

His suit seemed to be of a single piece and at his feet, he had dark-brown, oxford dress shoes. His hair was the same as always he didn't change that at all, nevertheless, Issei noticed that he took the attention of quite the amount of the female population.

(Completely opposite from me.) - He smirked when he realized his own style and Vali's.

* * *

.

The youth appeared to be bored and had his eyes closed but something awoke him from his sleep.

{Vali. Someone is watching us.}

(Of course, Albion.) - He replied. (Many people are present and we're behind the three beauties over there so we would obviously catch the attention of the vast majority of people here.) - He mentally talked to the Dragon.

He then gave an exhausted sigh. - (Haaa... I can't believe I came here as their bodyguard, nothing will happen!)

He was insulting the one that gave him this mission. Mainly Azazel and the rest of the leaders.

{I don't think it's that simple Vali.} - Albion said to his partner.

(What do you mean?) - He asked, intrigued by the comment of the Dragon.

{I sense another Dragon here, and a strong one at it. I suppose he isn't here for a drink, after all, his presence is emanating caution as if he's excited or nervous about something.} - Maybe this party will end in a different way.

(If it's like that, then why are they so comfortable among themselves?) - Vali said while pointing at the women with his head, they were laughing and talking like nothing was out of the ordinary.

{Because, Dragons can sense other Dragons. It would prove difficult for them to find him if he doesn't want to be found by others.}

{But something about his Aura seems different as if he's hiding his true natural Aura and just showing a fake. What could he be hiding?} - Albion was interested in the Dragon.

Hearing the tone in his Partner's voice, Vali was curious. - (Where is he?) - He asked, prepared for anything.

{Some place around your ten, he's cautious so I cannot sense more.} - Albion told him, after all, he also wanted to know this Dragon.

Issei, on the other hand, kept starring at Vali.

"Just how did you get dragged into this?" - He was shocked that the Hakuryuuko actually agreed to attend the party.

"Well what happens, happens." - Prepared for anything, he muttered to himself while he shrugged his shoulders also taking a sip of his drink.

Soon after, Vali opened his eyes and stared at his general direction startling Ise. He swiftly moved to the side and covered himself with the silhouette of a huge guy in front of him.

He focused on hiding his aura to the most he could.

(That was close.) - He sweated. - (It seems Albion sensed me. Thats not good, they should know something is up but I doubt he will tell anyone. We need to end this plan quickly.) - While hiding himself even more Ise thought.

* _Clang-Clang! Clang-Clang!_ *

The sound of a bell was heard, indicating midnight. The three women stopped their talk and looked at the clock.

"Ahh~ Not fun!" - Serafall pouted while looking at the clock on the wall.

"HuHuHu~ It seems it's time."- The red-haired woman spoke only for them to hear.

"Amaterasu, Serafall be more serious. We will announce something important!" - The silver-haired woman spoke, clearly reprimanding them.

"Artemis-chan please be a little less serious. It will make you look less old than you actually are~" - Amaterasu teased the Goddess named Artemis.

"Don't call me like that!" - She blushed all the way to her neck.

"HuHuHu!~" - Amaterasu only giggled.

"Time to go!~" - Serafall was excited like always. She approached the center of the hall in which all the guests were brought in from the other places of the party.

The doors at the sides were closed and Serafall was standing right at the center alongside the other Goddesses, a spotlight highlighted the location they were at.

"Thank you everyone for coming." - Amaterasu spoke in a clear dignified voice, leaving her carefree manner for once.

"We gathered all of you at this place to make an announcement!" - Artemis yelled in her serious and professional voice.

"It's about the World Class Rating Games!~" - Serafall still spoke like she always does.

Those news got the interest of Ise.

Soon, as they were talking about how grateful they were about their presence and their thanks for the support during the attack from the Beast, he saw Fuuki walking towards him, doing her best to hide from any Yōkai nearby.

As she walked in between the people she reached Issei's side.

"Found anything?" - By her tone, it appeared that she didn't find anything worth noting.

"Yes." - Those words caused her to breath in relief.

"Its located at the Shishinden but I don't know how much security is there. Also, other Gods aside from the Shinto Pantheon appear to be here." - He told her almost all his information, the drink in his hand was now gone after those last words.

"I see... What were you drinking?" - With an accusatory glare she asked him.

Issei didn't even sweat at her tone. - "Negroni, quite good!" - He smiled at the remembrance of his drink.

She instead facepalmed, he seemed too calm.

"Be a little more serious!" - She pinched his arm as revenge.

"Ouch! Okay, easy. I also found out that another annoying person is here." - He regained the serious glint in his eyes that she knew him for.

"Who?" - She was also serious, for someone to be considered annoying to him it seemed to be quite the strong person.

"The Hakuryuukou."

She widened her eyes. Also a War Hero equal to him, having fought many strong enemies and defeated all of them. His power is said to rival an actual Heavenly Dragon if not more!

"Isn't he as strong as you?" - She asked.

"Before, yes. But after my... let's say accident. I think he should be stronger, after all, the Boosted Gear is still rebooting and in my base form, I don't think I can defeat him if he decides to fight with everything he has."

He critically analyzed his strength and reached the conclusion that if Vali fought with his ' _Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive_ ' he wouldn't win, of course, his normal Balance Breaker was another story completely.

"Like that?" - She was worried, the reputation of the Hakuryuuko was nothing to scoff at.

"Don't worry, even if he gets serious, with both of us I think that we could defeat him."

(But if he uses his ' _Dragon Lucifer Drive_ ' then...) - He thought the last part.

Soon the words he wanted to hear were finally here.

"About the World Class Rating Game, for one to participate he needs to go to the Underworld to one of the many centers available and register." - Serafall was the one to talk.

Ise put all of his attention on her words even Fukki was the same.

"Once registered one will receive two things!" - She lifted two fingers up.

"One will be a case with ' _Chess Pieces_ '. Those Pieces have the same effect as a normal Evil Pieces but they will not transform people into Devils. They will only gift the abilities of the Pieces seen in the Rating Game. A Knight will be faster, a Rook stronger, etc." - Serafall was explaining while looking around, Ise and Fuuki were still hidden behind the huge guy.

"And to make it more interesting will also have ' _Mutation Pieces!'_ "- Her words made Issei speechless.

"So depending on ones' set they will be able to have more members on their team. A Mutated Piece is extremely rare so not many will be seen. Also, a Mutation Piece will be able to make a God-Class being into a part of the team just with that piece alone, in other words, if you have a ' _Mutated Rook_ ' just that piece will be sufficient to make the God-Class participate!"

Those words surprised everyone, neither Ise or Fuuki were exceptions. That way the game will be much more interesting to play and to watch.

"Second!" - She raised her second finger, making everyone pay attention to her.

"You will be given a phone with a sole app installed. That app is impossible to be downloaded and is only installed onto the phones given by the administrators of the centers. Everything will be done through the app. When opened, the app will load a small tutorial for you to understand how everything will work!"

Serafall finished her explanation and not a single voice was heard after that. Everyone was thinking about the news, but before anyone could ask something, she spoke once again.

"The tournament will officially start in less than three months! At that moment the exact, date, location and match will be posted on the app. Since this Monday, registration will be available and until the day before the first match is posted, anyone can register. The King and the name of the team must be decided at that moment!" - This time she visibly relaxed and let out a breath of air.

(It seems this will be more interesting but also more troublesome.) - Ise was thinking to himself, the bonus of the Mutation Pieces was pretty unexpected but what he did not like was. - (The Underworld, huh...)

He was worried about going to that place, after all, he didn't have good feelings about it.

(I'll worry about that later, now we need to get the treasure.) - He turned to look at the Kyuubi which was also thinking about something.

"We need to go to the place in which the treasure is located at. Worst comes to worst we use force and steal it." - He told the beauty which only nodded her head. They needed to get out of here, the longer they stayed, the more dangerous it was for them.

"I know the location." - She told Ise, he only smirked and followed after her.

"Let's end this." - He muttered to himself as he followed the beauty out of the crowd.

At the same time a loud voice coming off the spotlight was heard so they both turned their heads.

"Guests, about the treasure, it will be presented in less than an hour. So until then, please enjoy the night!~" - The red-haired woman talked to the guests about the treasure. They all just nodded.

Fuuki and Issei approached the exit door and opened it. After some twists and turns they reached the hallway they believed the treasure was located at, and it sure was.

They knew since many guards were stationed there, all of them Ultimate-Class. From Low-Tier to High-Tier, of course, some were even weaker than Top-Tier High-Class, but that was expected.

The reason for them being so weak despite being of that level was because the _quantity_ of their magic reserves just reached the level of an Ultimate-Class and not the _quality_ of one.

All of the guards stood there not moving a millimetre. Both of them watched them from the corner of the hallway their eyes scanning them.

"You think you could cast a powerfull Illusion over us for them not to notice?" - He asked to the beauty.

"An illusion strong enough to cheat Ultimate-Class? Yes, I can, but I don't know if they will notice the traces left during the Active state of the spell." - She was also thinking the same as him.

"Do it. Worse comes to worse we fight against them!" - Ise ordered while peaking at the guards.

Fuuki just nodded her head and started to concentrate. Mist appeared and covered their bodies from the bottom to the top and soon, they disappeared.

"Follow me and don't make a noise!" - The beauty grabbed his hand and started to walk in the direction of the guards. All were just looking at an empty hall.

After some long seconds, they reached an extremely close distance to the guards. The Kyuubi concentrated even more and Ise was on his guard in case of anything.

They reached the sides of the guards just an arm away from them and soon... went past them and crossed the other corner behind the guards.

After releasing a breath they didn't know they were holding, they turned their sights to the front of them. They saw nothing except a big wooden door that reached the ceiling.

Fuuki didn't let her guard down, she kept the illusion active in case of anything.

"Quite impressive." - Ise expressed his sincere praise since she managed to bring them here. The beauty just smiled but due to the compliment she had a discreet blush on her cheeks.

"The treasure should be behind the door." - She pointed over her shoulder as she looked at him.

"Do you think there's someone guarding the treasure behind the door?" - He was cautious, maybe a trap was placed behind the door.

As a response she released her nine tails alongside her ears and gently closed her eyes. A gentle aura surrounded her body, even Issei that was at her side wasn't able to feel the ripples of power at all.

After a couple of minutes she replied. - "I don't feel any living thing inside but a lot of energy signatures were found. Someone placed really powerful spells inside as a safety measure. They appear to be quite complex as well." - She narrowed her eyes, her tails flowing freely behind her.

Ise just stared at them waving from one side to another. - (They seem quite comfortable...) - His thoughts, as always, were on a different line but he still replied to her comment.

"Remove the illusion from both of us, right now we don't need it." - She did as asked and the same mist covered them.

"Next we should open the door, any spell you sense deactivate it immediately. I'll be your guard and in case something happens I'll be the bait, you just concentrate on getting the Yasakani-No-Magatama, I will buy as much time as I can if needed be." - He was serious about his plan.

She just nodded her head a little emotion seen in her eyes. - "Be careful." - She expressed her worry and Ise smiled back at her.

They reached the door and she carefully opened it.

"You'll be the only one inside. Stay there until you get it." - His voice was sharp and gentle. - "I'll stay here and whatever happens, don't come out!" - He ordered as a true leader should, she stared at his unwavering eyes and soon turned around and crossed the door.

She entered the room and Ise closed the door behind her, being the only one left outside.

(Let's hope for the best.) - He stood in front of the door and crossed his arms. He closed his eyes as he extended his senses to the point that the guards didn't notice.

* * *

 **—-30 Minutes Later.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Until this point everything was going perfect, according to Ise just another ten minutes and they will be able to get out of here.

(Come on. Come on.) - He was anxious. The spells seemed to be too complicated even for Fuuki but he believed in her, he only needed to wait.

Soon all his hopes were thrown down the drain.

He sensed how the guards were moving in a military fashion and two auras were coming closer, one of them he knew quite closely.

"In the end a fight is going to happen, huh..." - Ise muttered while preparing himself.

He activated his Darkness and covered his left arm and right thigh almost in their entirety.

After thinking for a little bit, Issei covered the left side of his face with his Darkness as well, it gave the appearance of his Mark' extending. - (Just in case.)

The entire left side of his face was covered while his right was covered by his hair, he hoped that with this he might be able to fool them.

Soon, the two figures crossed the corner of the Hallway with the guards behind them.

The first thing they saw was a figure standing in front of the door with his arms crossed, his eyes were similarly closed.

The ones coming from the corner were a beauty with red hair that emitted a hot and burning aura. And the other one was a silver-haired youth with a huge Aura.

(Now, I believe this is kind of ironic. You fighting against crime while I am doing a crime. How life twists and turns right, Vali...) - Issei was mocking his fate.

The male and female at the moment they saw the figure prepared themselves for a fight.

"Who are you?" - The beauty asked while looking at the man in front of her. The silver-haired youth was concentrating on him as well.

The figure slowly opened his eyes, the moment those eyes landed on them both felt a chill run down their spines.

His eyes were cold to the point that the Arctic seemed warm, they also were extremely sharp and heavy, and they felt as if a knife was against their throats.

(Just a glare made me feel like this!?) - Vali was shocked, no one has ever made him feel like this with only his eyes, only the Beast of the Apocalypse was capable.

"I asked, who are you?!" - The beauty was also startled by the look in his eyes. Trying to prove her point she increased her aura, flames covering her body.

"If I was you I wouldn't do that." - Issei coldly stated, his voice was the same as his eyes, cold and sharp but also emotionless.

(Need to gain time. I'll have to bluff!) - He had an idea an extremely crazy idea.

"Let us say that I planted a bomb in the middle of where your little party is going. It's directly connected to the aura of a God and if said God increases her aura then... Boom! A crater where the Imperial Palace once stood!" - His voice was arrogant and confident. - (Please work!) - But his thoughts were different.

The beauty paled and retracted her aura not taking any chances, the man seemed absolutely serious about his threat.

"Then, who exactly are you?" - The silver-haired youth asked.

"That's for me to know and you to figure out, Hakuryuuko." - Ise needed to gain as much time as he could, after all, he didn't know when would his bluff fail. If the Goddess decided to fight then it will end badly for both, Fuuki and him.

"What do you want?" - The Goddess asked him, discreetly trying to call for someone but before that.

"If you move from your position or decide to call for someone, I'll gladly detonate the bomb."

The Goddess was surprised he figured her intentions out, she bit her lip and stopped moving.

"About your question." - He looked into her eyes. - "I am searching for what's inside the door behind me." - Ise explained while pointing with his thumb at the door.

"You wish for the treasure terrorist?!" - She was angered.

(Being called like that actually hurts a bit.) - He thought but continued his play.

"Half correct." - He didn't explain more.

"Half?" - The youth asked him, preparing to catch any openings in his guard but neither him nor Albion could see them.

{Vali, this Aura... It's the Dragon we sensed back at the hall! But his Aura is still hidden, I think he's afraid of something.} - Albion mentally spoke to his partner.

(Afraid? Of what? The Goddess?) - He asked back, trying to find an answer.

{No, I don't think so. Look at him, he completely disregarded the Goddess and even threatened her. This means something else...} - Albion was trying to figure him out.

{Try to gain time the more we stand in front of him, the more I'll be able to know!}

(Sure.) - Vali replied and soon the answer to the former question he asked was answered.

"Indeed, the thing is." - His tone heavy. - "The means they used to acquire the treasure were not as they told you."

Issei didn't know who the Goddess was, the amount of deities in the Japanese Pantheon was no joke but since she was here to retrieve the treasure and also used flames he had a guess. And he hoped his guess was right.

"Amaterasu, you should try and ask your subordinates how did they actually got the Yasakani-No-Magatama." - He mentally prayed his guess about the Goddess was right.

Seeing her face change from anger to surprise and then to shock, he knew he was right. - (Bingo.) - He was happy.

"My subordinates?!" - She trusted her subordinates so the idea of them lying to her was absurd in her eyes.

"They wouldn't lie to me!" - She tried to refute.

"Are you sure? Sorry to pop your bubble, but they did." - His voice heartless. - "The method in which they gained the treasure is different from what they told you and the true reason behind who actually got it and why, is also wrong."

"What do you mean?" - Vali interrupted the man.

"Let's say that the possessor of the treasure was believed to be a criminal, and along with her family they were chased throughout Japan for decades by your subordinates, the Yōkai." - He was slightly angry when he mentioned that.

"An innocent who wasn't believed to be one!" - His voice had concealed fury.

"Amaterasu, you should worry more about the details, after all, that's where the Devil is hidden." - He was explaining but then Amaterasu screamed.

"Details? What do you mean!?" - She was getting desperate, her guards behind her were also looking weird as if something was making them uncomfortable.

(Do they know what he's talking about?)

"Meaning?" - He asked back. - "For that you should ask your Yōkai. And for the truth behind this, then you should ask the one that was the most affected by it!" - Ise raised his voice ending their conversation, he didn't want to talk about that more, it wasn't his place to talk about it.

(It seems that I'll need to fight.) - He was thinking and then he heard.

* _ **Vanishing** **Dragon,** **Balance** **Breaker!**_ *

The silver-haired youth changed into his suit of armor.

"I don't know who you are but I was tasked to protect this place and while I'm the one doing it, nothing will happen!" - Vali yelled at him.

"Quite the heroic spirit you got, huh." - Issei smirked and mocked him.

* _RIIIPP!_ *

The sound of air ripping was heard and then Vali appeared in front of Ise with a fist cocked back.

He released his punch and hit him with all the strength his body he had. Ise coated his entire left arm in Darkness, decreasing the degree of coverage of the rest of his body, then he extended his palm planning to receive the punch.

* _CRAACKK!_ *

The sound of metal creaking was heard. Ise just caught Vali's punch!

"Is that all you got?" - He had a smug grin on his face.

Meanwhile, Vali was surprised that his punch just got caught. This was definitely bad!

Once he caught his strike a huge amount of dust was released from the ground, making a huge cloud of smoke that covered all of the entrance behind him.

Ise slowly clenched his right hand, forming a fist. His legs were at separated and at the same level as his shoulders, and his fist was at his hip.

"My turn." - His eyes shone with mysterious light and he released his punch.

* _BAAAAAMMMM!_ *

He hit Vali right at the center of his armor, the jewel and the chest part of his armor completely destroyed while Vali was sent flying straight towards Amaterasu.

* _Blaaargh!_ * - Vali vomited blood mid-flight.

Amaterasu was trying to do something but Ise yelled. - "Move Goddess and people _die!_ " - His voice as cold as he could make it.

He was seen walking from the huge cloud of dust. He walked slowly and his left arm slowly turned back to normal human flesh.

He walked closer and closer, right towards where Vali landed.

Soon Vali lifted himself up from the crater his landing made, the top part of his armor gone.

* _Spit!_ * - He turned his head and spat blood.

(Damn! He's strong.) - Vali was still slightly dizzy from that blow.

{Take a hold of yourself. You let your guard down and paid for it. Now focus!} - Albion screamed inside his head.

"Yeah." - A battle hungry grin appeared on his face as his armor regenerated.

{He seems to be the close type fighter, take your distance and fight him where you have the advantage!}

Vali just nodded his head and flew from his position. Both of his hands had a big amount of demonic power, pure white in color.

"Take this!" - He screamed at Ise and smirked.

* _BOOOOOMMMM!_ *

When the attack landed they heard a scoff and a huge explosion of light and power covered their sight, making the entire building tremble.

Vali was silent he didn't know if that actually did damage.

After the smoke dispersed a huge crater was before the door, but no one was in it.

"Where?!" - He screamed but soon he got his answer in the form of a kick that sent him flying through the wall.

* _CRASHHHH!_ *

He smashed onto the ground, the gravel and stones outside were sent flying everywhere.

"Stay here, _Goddess_." - While walking past her, Issei said so that she doesn't think of anything.

Putting a single foot in the hole on the wall, Ise jumped and soon reached the big crater outside.

He didn't talk, he knew something like that would hardly affect Vali.

A white light was soon seen, it reached the sky and a white figure was inside it.

"Tch!" - Vali was angry at the fact that he got some damage from that kick.

{Try getting closer to use the Divine Dividing!}

(I doubt he will let me.) - From their little exchange he noticed how the man was extremely cautious of actually being hit by him.

Thinking of something Vali extended his hand, a blue magic circle appeared on it.

"...Lightning..." - He muttered and a huge blue lightning came from the circle, approaching Ise at a ridiculous speed.

* _BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!_ *

A huge explosion occurred.

"This time it hit." - He was sure of it, his eyes never left his opponent.

"Not bad." - A voice was heard and from the crater, a man jumped. His clothing were slightly burned and tattered but nothing more.

"That actually stung a bit." - He cracked his neck and looked at the armor of Vali.

(...Albion...) - He asked his Partner.

{Remeber! Us Dragons have a huge resistance against any type of magic!} - He told him.

"Then how about something more powerful!" - Vali smirked again and six magic circles appeared behind his back, they were deep blue in color and various demonic letters spun on their circumference.

Afterwards, six demonic bolts of thick lightning were shot from them.

Ise knitted his brows. - "Time to get serious."

Six spheres of his Darkness were formed on his surroundings and like Vali did, he shot at him.

The spheres went past the lightning bolts obviously aimed directly at Vali.

Seeing those spheres Albion screamed. - {Dodge!}

He did as told and twisted his body to the point that the spheres only knicked his armor. But what happened after they touched him surprised him.

The pieces of his shoulders and legs were completely vaporized as if they were not there to begin with.

"Power of Destruction?"

{No. It seems those spheres are flames compressed to the limit. They superheated your armor to the point it reached a melting point and then simply vaporized what was left of it!} - Albion was shocked by those flames.

{I don't know how hot they are but if they melted the armor in less than a second, then don't touch them! If they hit you won't receive burns, you will be turned into dust.} - He warned.

Vali looked back at the even bigger crater that was made by him, the man was with both arms crossed in the shape of an 'X' he had light burns all over his arms but nothing serious.

Looking back to the one that caused the crater, Ise narrowed his eyes even more. - (I can't let my Darkness heal me, at least, not yet.) - He stopped the healing process and began thinking.

" **Hell** **Blaze!** " - He muttered and on his left hand a purple-black flame materialized.

{Vali.} - "I know." - Seeing those flames both of them knew they were bad news.

"Catch!" - Ise threw the flames in his hand which then separated into six clusters and approached Vali in different directions.

Vali was on guard and avoided them with some trouble. His body made movements which seemed impossible but he was successful with his dodging.

"Hmph!" - He mocked him as he saw the flames pass him.

But suddenly a cluster of flames he dodged turned back aiming at his left-side! His left arm was struck with those vicious flames. Vali could feel the heat of the flames through his armor.

(Albion! Release the part of the armor that was hit!)

Albion did as told and the left part of his armor alongside his left pauldron fell to the ground with a heavy sound.

"What exactly are those flames?" - He asked in a loud voice. Looking at the flames from the corner of his eye.

(Damn it! I need more attacks in my repertoire, only that and a few more is what I got!)

Ise was angry but he thought of something, a crazy idea. - (There's no teacher like experience!)

"Time to use a bit more of power." - While saying that Ise coated his entire body in the maximum amount of Darkness he could use.

Vali and Albion, who were watching this, were stunned but Albion even more so!

{No! Something like that is impossible! He's far too young for that to actually happen to him!} - Albion was thinking about a certain possibility, one only Dragons had.

Ise then used his Darkness and formed a pair of wings. He flapped them and dissapeared from his position, his speed was fast to the point that Vali couldn't see him for a second.

"Fast!" - Vali raised his guard and instinctively blocked to his left, a hand coated in purple-black flames hit both of his arms.

* _BAAAAANNNNNNGGGGG!_ *

Vali was shot down from the sky, like a missile he crashed on the ground.

The heat he felt was terrible and the strength behind the blow was even more so. Even while guarding against that attack he still felt the reverberations of the blow on his armor.

"What a monstrous strength! I can't feel my arms!" - He stood up while both of his arms were numb.

(Albion release the armor.) - Since he was hit by those flames he had to release the armor so to not burn to death. His gauntlets fell near him.

Taking a discreet look at the first piece of armor that was hit a little while ago, he could see how the flames were still raging.

"It seems those flames won't extinguish easily..." - He reached the conclusion.

The comment was heard by Ise who was still on the air, his wings behind his back.

(I knew this bastard was tough but receiving a full powered attack plus my flames and leaving only with that. Haaa... It seems I still have much to learn.) - Ise was trying to figure out a plan.

(I need something that punctures his defense, magical and physical...)

Thinking about a possible attack, he focused on his left hand. His Darkness squirmed all over his arm and soon took the shape of a spear. It looked like the old, classic spartan spear.

(Not enough! I need it to literally make a hole in him, like a drill!) - He had an idea so he made a spiral of energy come out off the tip of the spear.

"Stay there, I rather not have this thing go near me..." - Ise threw the spear.

* _FOOOSHH!_ *

In the air the spiral of energy surrounded the spear-point and gave it a beautiful purple and black tail. It's speed betond ridiculous!

* _Slash!_ * - Vali was shocked! He didn't see the spear at all! When he noticed, it already perforated his side!

"It seems harder to control than I thought." - Ise muttered and created another spear.

(I sacrificed the damage of the flames to make this spear, but instead of that, its speed is ridiculous! Plus the magical and physical penetration. What should I name it?)

(How about **'** **Drill?'** I think like that I won't forget the name!) - Thinking useless stuff as always Ise was prepared to throw the second spear but was stopped.

The guards finally decided to intervene seeing that the guard of Ise was low.

The High-Tier Ultimate-Class Yōkai threw a couple of Onmyōdō Spells at him and screamed - """ _Punishment_ _of_ _the_ _Deceased_!"""

Three High-Tier Ultimate-Class Yōkai formed a pentagram of fire in the sky, Ise was floating below it and got hit by the pillar of flames, not knowing that because of this he got an idea.

* _BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!_ *

He was sent flying towards the ground, denting the earth.

"Hakuryuuko-sama. Are you okay?" - A Yōkai asked to him.

"Idiots! Don't let your eyes off him!" - He yelled at them.

* _Riiip!_ * - Vali pulled the spear out from his side, blood dropping onto the gravel ground.

"HaHaHaHaHa!" - A maniacal laugh echoed all over the place. - "That actually did hurt!" - A voice was heard from the pillar flames, everyone turned to look at the source of it.

Someone came from the still burning pillar, the majority of his clothes were now gone. The skin on the right side of the face, his abdomen and his left legs was badly burnt, it looked like third degree burns.

Seeing him like that Vali relaxed a bit but the fatigue got him.

"That... should stop him... for a while..."

Looking at the wounds of his foe Vali smiled but he was breathing heavily, the punches and kicks alongside the first degree burns he received from his armour heating up actually did quite the damage.

(His punches and kicks may have cracked a bone, and the burns are annoying.) - He thought to himself.

The biggest wound was the one at his side, although the diameter of the hole was small, around the size of a big coin, he still felt the pain from it. Since the spear literally went through him, he had two holes at the side of his body.

(Damn it! It actually hurts!) - He complained inside his head and then he heard Albion's words.

{Vali, this guy... I believe he's hiding something... I think I know what it is, but it should be impossible!}

(What are you talking about Albion?) - Before he could get his answer he saw something unbelievable.

(Time to heal, I can't fight like this.) - Ise let his Darkness heal him. It started to coil around his left leg, going up and covering his right side and then his whole face.

Not even a couple of seconds went by when his wounds were completely gone as if he hadn't received any at all.

Everyone was amazed, no words came from their mouths, even Albion was the same. The idea inside his head was getting clearer and clearer, but he just wanted to deny it.

"I'll show you real flames!"

(Raging flames that have been compressed with intense heat. Let's try it!) - He thought and at the tip of the spear a small ember of a flame appeared.

" **Flare up!** " - He lifted his spear and pointed it at them. At tip of it, the small ember moved uncontrollably, emitting huge amounts of heat.

Then it happened.

Everything in front of Ise was swallowed by a huge tide of purple-black flames. The flames in a split seconds turned into a pillar that reached the heavens and everyone, aside of Vali who moved on instict, was swallowed by it.

The Yōkais, every single one of them, had burns covering most parts of their body, some more than others.

The Three High-Tier Ultimate-Class Yōkai that attacked him, received the full force of the impact and as a result they were barely breathing. They might even need treatment for a couple of months if they did not want those wounds to be permanent.

Vali was far away from that inferno of flames while using his wings and floating in the air.

(Damn it! I might need to use the Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive if things keep going like this!)

He was frustrated, he thought that the match would be more or less equal but he never expected for the guy to actually have so many powerful attacks!

"You're strong, I'll give you that." - Vali acknowledged him. - "But I'm stronger!" - He yelled, prepared to use one of his trump cards.

A silver-white aura covered his whole armour and the sky and the earth started to quake.

" _ **I, the one to awaken...…** " _

Issei, who was below him, felt his hair stand on end when he heard that chant. Now, this was serious.

But Vali was forced to stop his chant when he heard an unnatural rumbling of thunder and sensed a sudden increase in energy at the distance.

Clouds formed on the sky covering the night sky and a single lighting blot split the sky and went straight towards Ise.

"Shit!" - He dodged the bolt since he knew that healing the damage from that attack would be annoying.

"Young Hakuryuuko, stop playing and fight seriously. He's no enemy to underestimate!"

A voice similar to the rumbling of thunder was heard and a tall man who looked in his late twenties with distinctive bull-like horns coming out of the sides of his head appeared at the side of Vali.

He had electric blue eyes the same color as his hair with a small beard on his chin. He was wearing a white robe with a black shirt underneath, and bloody red sandals on his feet.

"Susanoo-No-Mikoto." - Vali narrowed his eyes a bit.

Ise was only looking at the man present, the amount of power he emitted was absurd, even for him.

(The God of Storms!) - He mentally noted as he lifted his guard to the limit.

"Sister, are you alright? I came the moment I sensed a huge clash of aura, my guess would be from the young man in front of us and the Hakuryuuko." - He talked to the woman with red hair who, until now, was just a spectator.

"Brother!" - Her tone was full of relief. - "He's a terrorist! He planted a bomb and if I increase my aura it will blow!" - She screamed at him.

"Huh? What are you talking about? There's no bomb in the party! There's no bomb that works like that! You're too easy to trick!" - He screamed back at her.

(He figured it out, huh.) - Issei thought.

"Truly worthy of the God of not only Storms but also of Mischief. Figuring out my little plot that easily, but well it was thought on the spot." - He agreed with him since there was no point in keeping it up.

However, he was nervous, right now his opponents were not just Vali, but also two Gods. He didn't know how much more time he could buy.

(Fuuki, hurry!) - His mind went to the fox.

"Oh! It seems someone knows about my deeds!" - Susanoo sounded satisfied. - "Right, young dragon?" - He asked him back without taking his eyes from the Dragon.

"Thanks for the praise." - He calmly talked back.

"So all of this was a trick?!" - Amaterasu questioned.

""Yes."" - The dead look in both Susanoo and Ise was priceless.

"Then why did you said that?!" - She asked Ise.

"Because I needed you out of the play." - His answer made her speechless. - "Right now since I'm weak, I can't take on both of you." - He simply pointed at Vali and then at her.

The look in his sister's face made Susanoo giggle a little, she always had the best expressions.

He then turned to look at Ise and seriously asked. - "What do you want Dragon?"

"Me? From you?" - He sounded confused. - "Nothing." - He replied, after all, he wasn't interested in the treasure he's only helping Fuuki.

"Then why are you here?" - The God asked again, confusion written all over his face.

"I just came here to help someone." - He concentrated his Aura, forming a huge pillar the same color as an abyss. The atmosphere turned heavy and the ground underneath him as well as the clouds in the sky started to disappear.

Focusing again he summoned ' **Rebellion.** '

Seeing the odd blade in his left arm everyone stood on guard. Vali prepared himself to use the Overdrive again. The Gods were also the same, preparing for the worst.

"I... I am just the bait!" - His grin increased in size and focused his entire Aura, every piece of it, into his blade.

A pitch black flame stronger than never before materialized on the edge of it, and like a scabbard, it surrounded the entire length of the blade.

The heat it emanated was ridiculously high, rocks in his surroundings started to melt, heat waves could be seen in his surroundings, the structures behind them started to catch up in a blaze.

(What ridiculous heat! It almost the same as my sister's!) - The God was stunned by the power in those flames.

Amaterasu on the other side could see the fire in a more detailed version.

(Flames that won't extinguish once you're hit by them... Similar to my own in that regard but his are extremely dark, for him to use them he needs to remember about a horrible experience he went through. What a terrible price to pay...)

She looked at the flames and quickly analyzed them and although he was an enemy, she felt sorry for him. Those flames were beautiful but to use them it seemed he needed to pay a price.

(If he wasn't an enemy I would have trained him to use his flames without a cost.) - She was lamenting about how fate played her.

{Vali! Don't let that hit you!} - Albion broke him off his thoughts. - {Even with the Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive you would probably suffer unhealable wounds!} - His voice was deadly serious.

(Those flames hold that much power?!) - He was speechless at the power of those flames.

{Maybe those flames can seriously wound a God.} - Albion muttered his thoughts, Vali looked at Susanoo and saw the serious expression on his face, further proving Albion's point right.

(So they can hurt a God?) - He regained his bearing and asked.

{Yes, but they can't kill them. Still, they are capable of hurting them! An amazing feat!} - Albion was proud that one his race was capable of that much.

{It seems my guesses were right you did awaken your Aura hatchling. To gain that much strength... What kind of suffering did you go through?} - Albion thought to himself.

* _Clang!_ * - The sound of metal made everyone pay attention to the man once again.

"Let's see how much damage this can give you!" - Ise said with a wicked grin, he shook his blade making a little ember of the flame hit the ground and instantly combusting all around it.

He flexed his muscles on all of his body and like a flash of lightning he reached the God of Storms.

Forcing his left arm to the limit he used every ounce of strength he had and screamed. - " **Kami-Chigiri!** "

He swung the blade in a diagonally fashion right onto the God.

A curved energy wave was released on top of the God. It was huge and outrageously powerful.

The God, not expecting that amount of power, crossed his arms at the height of his chest and covered himself in a blue aura that had white lightning on its surroundings.

* _BAAAANNNNNGGGGGGGGG!*_

"Brother!" - The woman screamed, surprised by the amount of power behind the attack.

The energy wave continued its track, burning everything on the ground, then it reached the Imperial Palace.

* _SLIIIICEEEEE!_ *

Like a hot knife through butter the black and purple energy wave cut the entire Imperial Palace in a perfect half.

Meanwhile, Ise fell down on a knee and was breathing heavily. His demonic state was removed and only his Mark remained, clearly from overusing his Aura.

(Damn! ...That was ...tougher than I thought...) - Not even properly thinking he tried to calm his heavy breathing.

After that, he heard a voice coming out of the light blue wings of his rival.

{It seems you did it hatchling!} - Albion's voice sounded satisfied. His partner and the Goddess were surprised by the words of the Dragon.

With his head low Issei replied. - "Took you a while to figure out, Albion."

Issei managed to regain his breath but he could feel his left arm was broken because of the last attack.

(Well, that happens when you control huge amounts of power without experience. I should be happy my arm didn't blow up!) - He thought while trying to heal his arm.

{Amazing... You actually did it!} - While the lights of the Divine Diving wings blinked repetitively Albion said to him.

{With you hatchling! There are eleven Dragons that have awoken their Aura throughout History! An incredible feat! HaHaHa!} - Albion was extremely excited, maybe because his race was once again gaining strength.

Meanwhile, the Goddess and Vali went wide-eyed, they didn't understand what the Dragon was talking about.

{Hatchling, I am also sorry.} - Issei could see that Albion was sincere with his apology.

{For you to have awoken your Aura so early, you must have been through an experience that words cannot describe it...}

Albion knew the reasons for their Aura to activate. One was good, but took a long period of time, and the second one was terrible to the point you wouldn't want it, even for your worst enemy.

Issei laughed in silence at the words of Albion he was grateful that he felt that way, quite the good Dragon. However, their break didn't last long before a blue aura with white lightings was seen in the distance.

Susanoo appeared at the side of Amaterasu, this time with a wound on his body. It was a long cut going along his left arm and to his shoulder.

The one in his arm looked skin deep, not painful at all. But the one in his shoulder looked like it reached his left collarbone, blood was overflowing from the wound and its edges were charred black.

"Incredible! No one had managed to hurt me this badly in more than 600 years!" - He touched his wound with his right hand. - "Young Dragon you are the first to have done this feat." - Susanoo spoke with a calm voice even respect was seen in his eyes.

(Shit.) - Ise cursed, he had hoped that he would have stayed down for a little longer.

"Sister. The evacuation started the moment the flames covered his blade so no one got hurt! Also, they already evacuated the entire Palace so only us three and him are left." - The God talked to his sister as he felt a sudden burst of pain in his left shoulder.

(I can't fight the three of them. I still need to gain more time but the only path left is to reveal myself!) - He was doubting whether revealing himself or not.

"Young Dragon you have nowhere to go. Why not give yourself in?" - The Storm God tried to convince Ise.

"No one got hurt aside from the guards, but you let all live. I don't feel angry from my wound but rather intrigued, I want to know about the man that wounded me since the last 600 years!" - His speech was quite convincing.

"The young Hakuryuuko will be eager to fight you again, and The White Dragon Emperor himself feels proud about you. My sister was indeed tricked by you but she's kind and has a great heart. If she was able to forgive me, then she will forgive you if she hasn't done so already." - The God tried to convince Ise, truly worthy of the title of God of Storms and Mischief his words were as sweet as sugar.

(The only way to gain time is to reveal myself. No words spoken can elongate this!) - He finally reached the conclusion his head still low, he grabbed his knee with his other hand and soon started to lift himself upwards.

(I don't have enough energy to fight, that last attack took everything from me.) - He was mentally thinking about any possible solution.

(It seems my freedom lasted only for a day... but what a day!)

He stood from his position slowly revealing his face but a figure blocked his vision, of course, the other way was the same.

A beautiful woman stood in front of him, she had tears in her eyes.

Everything he went through was seen by her inside the room where the Yasakani-No-Magatama was located, the seals and spells took her a longer period of time than she thought but seeing him fight against the Hakuryuuko and defeating him, against the Yōkai and defeating them as well, plotting and tricking the Sun Goddess and injuring the God of Storms her heart felt warm, indescribable warmth that made her happy and safe.

(You were willing to sacrifice your everything and got so wounded because of me, a person you just met. If that's not worthy of my trust and even more, then I don't know what is!)

She was mentally thanking Ise for his sacrifice. Ever since they got out of her prison, she started to like the young man more and more.

From being the serious guy during important situations, to the jokey man that made her smile, to the teasing man that made her blush, to the man that told her about his dream of being free and travel around the world.

Her trust was already his ever since he spoke those words in the cave. Ever since he freed her and gave her a reason to keep on fighting.

What she was looking for, all of this time, was if he was worthy of her feelings. Being always alone ever since young, she longed for the company of her other half, one that was worthy of her emotions and heart and that didn't lust after her beauty.

She wished for someone to stay by her side even in the worst of moments, and after seeing all that has happened and still deciding to give up his everything, she tossed aside her doubts and came here to help, now she was certain of her decision.

(Hyoudou Issei, you just won my heart.) - She was crying because she was happy that the feelings she had were for such a splendid man.

(Now is my turn to make you fall for me.) - She was a decisive woman and now she had a goal.

"You got it?" - Issei asked the beauty that was giving him her back.

"Of course sweetie!~ Who do you think I am?~" - Her tone was flirty, that alone made Ise smile.

"I'm glad you have it back." - He truly was happy of that, she was sure of it.

"We need to leave." - Fuuki didn't lose for a moment the silhouettes of the Gods in front of her. She didn't feel scared, rather excited.

"I can't use my gate, that last attack took everything from me, just keeping myself like this is costing me a lot." - He explained his situation in a low voice.

"Who are you?" - The Storm God asked the woman. He was disappointed that she appeared, after all, the young Dragon was almost going to give himself in. - (Damn!) - He was annoyed, he held a lot of interest towards the Dragon even now the wound still hurt.

"Me? Sorry, I'm a nobody." - She teased but her voice was cold and cautious.

"I only came for our leader. See, recently he had an accident so he isn't in his best condition yet he still decided to come. Quite the _man_ ~" - She explained to the God as she licked her lips, managing to get a surprised look from the three.

(((Not in his best yet capable of wounding a God?!))) - Everyone thought the same.

At that moment Fuuki closed her distance with Ise and used her Senjutsu to help him recover some of his lost energy.

"That should help you stand up properly." - She was worried, he noticed that.

"Thanks, Fuuki." - Those words were whispered into her ear, making her slightly blush.

"You're, _welcome!~_ " - She replied with a seductive voice that made even the God of Storms to hide his blush.

"Think you can take us out here?" - Issei was still the same piece of ice as always.

He used his former transformation and covered the side of his face, and thanks to his hair the other side was also covered. He finally could relax since they hadn't found out about his identity.

"You can't escape. I already sealed space itself no one will come or go without my permission!" - Amaterasu told them, the words of her brother still in her head.

She also felt interested in the young boy those flames of his were really similar to her own, for him to reach that mastery at such a young age it was incredible.

(Sorry, young man. But I won't let you _escape_ ~~) - She sensually licked her lips as she hid the interest in her eyes.

Her head was filled with thoughts about his capture and questioning, then her offer of protection and training him to be a possible future successor of her position. After all, the new generation was monstrous and now was the time to change rulers. And the young man was smart, cunning, courageous, but also devoted to his beliefs, she liked that.

"You're already plotting sister?" - The God of Storm recognized that look at any given time. It was the look she gave when she wanted someone at all costs. Till this day, it still scared him a little.

"Not~ at~ all~" - She replied while making a cute face.

(Young Dragon you just got the attention of someone you shouldn't have, I'm so sorry.) - He felt pity for the Dragon.

"So who are you, I did not sense your presence until now." - Vali at the side of them asked the woman.

"I'm a Yōkai!" - That tone reminded him about Lavinia but he could _feel_ the chill in her voice.

"A Yōkai? Then why have I not heard about you?" - Amaterasu tilted her head, they had all the time in the world right now.

"Maybe because my entire family was chased by your subordinates ever since a couple of Centuries ago." - She titled her head cutely but her sharp and chilling voice caused her to stop.

Ise noticed this and placed a hand on her shoulder as a sign of support.

"Are you sure about this?" - He asked in a low voice, he knew what she wanted to do.

"Yes, I will no longer hide. I have to face my past and concentrate on my future." - She had a glow in her eyes something he loved to see.

(You finally have that light in your eyes...) - While thinking that he didn't notice how the last part was said while looking at him with glistening eyes.

(Ohhh, Iseee~) - Seeing his smile made her feel butterflies in her stomach.

"Chased?" - Her thoughts were interrupted by Amaterasu, she heard the same words from the young man a little while ago.

"Yes. Because no one cared about the other side of the story, my grandmother was chased all over the country and then killed." - Fuuki bit her lips drawing blood.

"Just because the people thought she was an evil being!" - Ise squished her shoulder tightly. - "Because of the greed of an Emperor she was chased and forced to live in the shadows, giving birth to a single little fox that depended entirely on herself in the cruel world."

Issei, seeing this, moved his hand from her shoulder and instead went for her own hand.

Feeling his warmth she smiled and gained courage. - "That fox was used by a man just because of her beauty and gave birth to another little fox. The mother died while giving birth and the little fox was left alone and picked by humans. They raised her like their own but in this country because of her nature, she was chased by her own kind and captured, about to be executed!"

The God of Storms was quiet, Vali as well. But the one that was most shocked was Amaterasu, she heard all that she went through thanks to her own kind and felt awful.

"Without any hope in sight she gave up in life, but was saved by a young Dragon that was looking for her. " _I_ _want_ _you_ _as_ _a_ _part_ _of_ _my_ _team_ ", " _I_ _want_ _you_ _to_ regain _the_ _light_ _that_ _your_ _eyes_ _should_ _have_ ". He told her those words and soon she believed them, she started to trust him and slowly she believed that she will be happy again."

Ise was slightly embarrassed when she mentioned his words, he told her that in the heat of the moment.

"That little fox was me and that story is the story of my life and the one of my family" - She was ready.

"I formally introduce myself." - She made a reverence.

"My name is Benikomichi Fuuki. Pure blood Yōkai and expert in all Japanese Arts; Senjustsu, Youjutsu, Touki, Onmyōdō Arts. Proudly descendant of the Kyuubi-No-Yōko, Tamamo-No-Mae! " - At those words her nine tails and ears became visible, red in color with a tinge of black.

Everyone widened their eyes in our shock! The descendants of the Kyuubi-No-Yōko were supposedly exterminated a long time ago!

(She's a Yōkai much stronger than Kuroka!) - Vali was thinking to himself.

(The last descendant of the original Kyuubi!) - Susanoo thought to himself clearly stunned by her words.

(S-S-She I-Is?!) - Amaterasu had no words, someone like her was extremely powerful and rare! She could be and incredible force on her Faction second to none, not to even Yasaka!

Fuuki felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders.

"You did great." - Ise comforted, his voice made her want to hear him more.

(Please~ Talk more~) - She was already blinded by her feelings.

"Incredible!" - Susanoo screamed. - "The last known descendant of her and possibly the strongest Yōkai!"

He was clearly excited, first the Dragon boy then the Descendant of Tamamo-No-Mae, treasures were appearing on their Faction! They wouldn't let them get away, this incident will be solved privately! He didn't want the rest to know about the treasures in front of them!

"Fukki, we should leave!" - Ise was feeling better.

"You can't escape, both my sister and I have already reinforced the space around us, nothing you do will take you out!" - Susanoo was confident, Amaterasu at his side was the same.

"We won't do anything, this will do it for us!" - Fuuki lifted her left wrist, on it, a bracelet was seen. It was extremely thin, black in color with only a couple of green Magatamas on it.

Seeing that thing both of the Gods lost their proud faces and instead was replaced with anxiety and shock.

" _Break the boundary between worlds Yasakani-No-Magatama..._ "

Hearing the chant both Gods flew at them!

" _Transfer_!" - The bracelet shinned and then space started to twist and soon, it broke.

Seeing this, both Gods increased their speed. Ise and Fuuki, the moment space was ripped apart were already getting in, Fuuki even had the gall to say. - "Bye-Bye!~ A-chan~ Susa-chan~" - Mockery was clear in her voice.

Before they could reached them, the cracked space was closed and they got away, right under their noses.

"Damn it!" - Susanoo was angered, they actually had the Yasakani-No-Magatama with them! If he knew earlier then he wouldn't have played with them, they got played by two kids!

(Damn! Quite the youngsters.) - He calmed himself, his sister was pretty much the same.

"What will we do?" - He asked to his sister.

"Report it to the Factions, everything. That's our best move. We need to find them again and better get the help from the Factions." - She spoke to her brother getting only a nod of his head as a response.

"Hakuryuuko, we ask you to not say about our interest in them only what's necessary." - The Goddess bowed her head.

Vali meanwhile said - "Okay, you'll owe me one. I also don't want more work that's boring, and notifying about them will send me to the field to look for them, better for me." - Vali agreed as he also had his motives.

(Albion what were you exactly talking about with him?) - He remembered the conversation he heard between them.

{About that... It will take a while to explain.} - Albion knew that Vali wanted information about him.

(We have time after this.)

Vali was interested in the words from Albion, not once has he heard him like that. So proud, excited and happy, and not about himself but rather about his race.

"I'll leave, good luck!" - Since the two Gods lifted the sealing in the space he could finally get out of here, these wounds were killing him.

(Damn it! It will be annoying to explain.) - Vali left his destination the Underworld.

* * *

.

In another location, also inside of Japan, both Ise and Fuuki appeared out from a crack in space.

"Where did you sent us?" - He asked while looking around the Forest they were currently at. Seeing a comfortable-looking rock he went close to it and sat down.

"Nasuno, my home." - She replied while walking towards Ise and sitting next to him.

"Thank you for everything, it means a lot." - She told him while hugging his left arm.

Ise did not mind this and responded. - "I made a promise, didn't I?"

The smile in his face made her feel happy.

"After this, where are we going?~" - She wanted to go travel around the world with Ise.

Issei smirked, he knew that she obviously accepted coming with him and being part of his team, no words were neccesary.

"Romania may be a good option, I didn't see much of it the last time I went. So I would like to actually see the place." - Issei had his plans.

"I haven't been there before!~" - She was acting like a child, excited over everything.

"Its cold but the place has beautiful sceneries, you'll like it." - She nodded.

"We might need to go inside a house or something, we haven't slept and just now we faced a couple of Gods, rest is neccesary. You know a place?" - Ise stood up and helped Fuuki up as well.

"Yesss!~ I do know!~" - Her smile hinted at something.

"Then lead the way, Milady." - He joked with her once again but the response he got made him amazed.

"Come on Darling!~ We need to go _home!_ ~" - The beauty grabbed his entire arm and hugged him. Ise could feel certain attributes. Those words and actions made his heart skip a beat.

(Maybe at one moment, I, can love a woman again...) - Being dragged around he thought as he looked at the night sky filled with stars.

(Maybe I wasn't the one that helped you. But rather you helped me, Fuuki.) - He continued his thoughts and willingly moved in the direction she was dragging him at.

Fuuki was also thinking about her future, but mainly about her future with him. - (Thank you, Issei.)

She was happy to have met the Dragon.

* * *

 **End**

* * *

 **.**

(Edited. Corrected Grammatical and Punctuation mistakes... A Random Day Around March )

—-

Yes. Quite the story I wrote on this chapter. Next I will explain what happened after this on both sides, on Issei's and on the rest.

His next journey will be to Romania! I also need to make more chapters for his team (I won't give a single clue nor hint. I already know who they will be and I won't change them). So until then please wait, (Bows head.)

Also any comment on the chapter? How's the story going? the characters? I believe I'm doing fairly well. But still this is just the start. I still have work to do!

—-

Answers:

Freakofnature65: Thanks for the words man, but I'll like to present the character to all of you, that way it would be more impresive when the tournament starts.

heiwatosenso: He will treat them more professionally and a little cold, but nowhere near the level of the girls. The surprise they will get when they see him again, will be big. Thanks for the support.

JohnnyBoi: Thanks and don't worry those two will be with him I promise.

arinst2305: Thanks for the support man, I hope you liked thi new chapter.

adislt: The plan is something like that, civil conversations on his part, can't say more wouldn't want to spoil the story.

And for the team of Issei they will be completely new (in a sense), he will meet them in his journey across all the supernatural world, and they will be really strong.

About fay, kuroka and the rest, they will get their light but not as team members rather as, woman that have been waiting for Issei.

Ps; Sorry that your phone is small.

Laserbr0: Thanks for the words, I also think that was the best chapter. I think that although it was long it was pretty important. I'll try to make chapter more decent sized but I doubt it will be possible, after all many things need to be explained.

Yes it will be I have decided!

But the woman will be special, really special. I certainly hope all of tou will like them.

Mir19: Thanks for the support man and the answer is, Shit is going to hit the fan.

Tatsuyashiva4: Thanks man, but for now the team of issei is already set in stone, about relationships with someone close to the Hindu I'll say that you might be right about some guess of yours.

Both Ophis and Great Red, will appear really late in the series, now I need to focus on other things, but they will appear.

Gammagyro: For the first question I still do not have a clear answer, but I think they will move on but reconcile in a sense.

The Full Counter will appear later on but I still do not know which one, the Physical or the Magical.

He did get poisoned later on it will be explained, about the Holy Grail, I still don't know when Valerie will make her appearance.

Don't worry about the songs, some I didn't even knew, so you increased the size of my playlist, I'm grateful for that!

The lastest developments of Nanatsu no Taizai, I have read the manga up till last chapter, 291, so I'm trying my best to give Ise abilities that do not seem too overpowered.

The Wolf Paladin: Indeed, but the true explosion will be some time later, the chain reaction like always will begin small, later... it will be a different story. It will be fun to write about.

wahyubison: Thanks for the comment and yes the story will start to get more interesting from now on, but before I let Issei meet the girls again, there's somethings I have to do so its going to take a while.

About your guess, not bad you're right but who exactly it will be. I won't tell, but lets say a famous existence.

Mario (Guest): Thanks man, yeah about the length I just got inspired, I'm scared at the thought that further chapters will be equal if not superior in length, I hope I stabilize my range of words soon.

Czechus: Thanks for your words it means a lot. Having someone tell me that, really motivates me even more.

Thanks for reading and...

See You Later!


	8. Chapter 7 - Vampire of the King

Chapter 7

(Thoughts)

' _Important Words'_

"Dialogue" -

 **Attacks, Boosted Gear**

[Good Old Ddraig]

{The Albion}

*Magic Circle Communication. Among Others*

 _Chanting!_

* * *

 **The Vampire of the King.**

* * *

 **.**

Vali was having and extremely bad night. Right as he and the Goddess of the Sun went to look for the treasure, they found a suspicious looking man standing at the door.

According to Albion, he was a Dragon, and after a fight and almost forced to use the Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive, The God of Storms decided to step in and instead, got himself wounded. Then a female Yōkai appeared! She resulted to be the last descendant of Tamamo-No-Mae and was part of that man's team!

For him all of this was close to unbelievable, maybe the words he would use would be... unrealistic.

And just at this moment Vali arrived at the Underworld thanks to a magic circle he did after the battle.

He was wounded and a hole was on the side of his abdomen. It went from one side of it to the other and was actually really painful. Some of his bones had fissures and both of his arms hurt, a lot.

Last but definitely not least, were the first degree burns in his arms and on his face, similar to sunburns but a bit worse. They didn't hurt but they annoyed him a great deal.

"Fuck! How could that happen?!" - He was frustrated, the man basically toyed with him! If he got serious since the start he wouldn't have ended in such a pathetic way!

{Calm down, Vali. That loss was not a disgraceful one! After all, you fought against the eleventh Dragon that awoke his Aura.} - Albion was trying to calm his Partner, he could feel his anger.

"You need to explain to me about that Aura. Even at that moment you were extremely excited." - Vali eyed his Sacred Gear.

{Yes, after all, you will fight against him once more and you will need to know as much as possible.} - Albion agreed to his words but the trace of happiness in his voice couldn't be hidden.

"Then talk."

They had time before they arrived at the Capitol Castle where he would talk with his superiors.

Although it was Azazel who gave him the mission, he knew that the Fallen was in the Underworld. After all, before he left he told him where he would be at.

{Fine, listen well!} - The wings of his back blinked furiously. - {What makes us, Dragons, different from other species is the source of our power. In other words, our Aura.}

{Although all species have auras the ones of Dragons are much more... special.} - That caught Vali's interest. - {Different species call their auras as; magic power, chakra, demonic power, etc. All are basically the same, the source of power for the species. Even if they have different names they are the same at root.}

Vali kept walking, seeing the pure white building in the distance he slowed his pace. Even if his wounds hurt he has been through worse.

{Since it's too complicated to name it as they are, they generally name it as ' _Magic Reserves_ '. That was easier to understand for many and was also easy to measure when a comparison with another species was needed.} - Vali nodded. - {Of course, except for Dragons!} - He was damn proud of those words!

{Depending on the species when compared to others, the increase in the Magic Reserves will vary. Humans are the lowest while Dragons the highest. What I mean is, that if you put a Human, a Demon, a Dragon and an Angel of the same exact class and tier, their magical reserves will be different from one another.}

Those words made Vali interested, he more or less knew about that.

{The humans are the lowest since their bodies can't handle much of the aura. While the rest of the species around the world are different.} - He paid attention to those words.

{Dragons are beings born of pure energy. Their bodies take physical form because of the excess of energy and thanks to that, they have the highest amount and purity of aura in comparison to other species.}

Vali was silence with that, he kept thinking about his fight with that man. For him, Albion was saying something he never even heard about, just your average rumours. But, he had some questions. However, he decided to wait for his Partner to end his explanation.

{There are rare exceptions among races and the vast majority of them are humans. The so-called Heroes. They, by some way or another, manage to hold inside their bodies more aura and therefore become stronger.} - Vali widened his eyes at this.

"I see. So that's why they were so different as compared to other humans..." - He muttered under his breath. - "No wonder Cao Cao, Georg and the rest caused me so much trouble."

Vali solved another mystery that was chasing after him since some time ago. This time he felt that he understood why those Heroes were so annoying to deal with.

{Correct.} - Albion also agreed with the comment, such humans were rare but they existed even this generation had a few. - {However, Dragons are different.} - He made himself clear.

{Since our bodies are essentially energy, our compatibility with aura is the highest!} - Pride flooded his words making Vali roll his eyes. - {And thanks to that, we can gain something out of it.}

"Something?" - He was intrigued.

{The way for a Dragon to gain their Aura is, to either wait for extremely long amount of time to pass, or to suffer an experience that is capable of changing their psyche. In other words, their personality and even their soul!}

Vali stopped his musings and asked - "What kind of experience?"

{The worst kind.} - Albion's tone was deadly serious. - {Until now only Tiamat and Yu-Long have experienced this change, the rest of us waited a long time.} - Albion felt nostalgic, he more or less remembered those days.

"How about the Evil Dragons? They are strong and it should be impossible for them to be that strong without that, Aura?" - Vali asked back.

{Ah. But we don't count Evil Dragons in our numbers.} - Albion made his point clear as Vali nodded his head once again urging another explanation.

{They became corrupted and fell into horrible and bad emotions and those same emotions changed them, horribly. The difference between the Evil Dragons and those that awoke their Aura in the worst way, is that those that awoke it have their emotions and feelings controlled. And exactly because of that it caused the change in their Aura.}

"I see!" - Vali widened his eyes at the realization of something. He noticed how important this was for the Dragons as a species!

{Until now only the ' _Dragon Kings_ ' including Tannin, Ddraig and I, and both Ophis and Great Red have awoken their Aura. That hatchling is the eleventh!}

"So he's basically a miracle?" - Vali asked, finding the words ironic.

{Hmmm... You can say it like that.} - Albion's words made Vali silent.

"But then, what does the Aura give?" - He asked the most important question, but the answer he got left him... baffled.

{Who knows?} - Albion said to him. He could swear the Dragon shrugged his shoulders.

"What do you mean?" - Vali had an eyebrow twitching, he did not expect that.

{Each Dragon's Aura is unique. Some are extremely weird while others plain simple. But that hatchlings Aura is definitely one of the weirdest!} - Albion remembered that Darkness.

{His Aura has many things. Those flames and those spheres of Darkness that basically vaporize everything. It also healed him. But most importantly, it changed to fit his needs during the battle! That is something that makes no sense!} - Albion was thinking in a loud voice.

"Then compared to others, how good is it?"

{Compared to others?} - The White Dragon sounded confused.

{Seeing all those changes, and the fact that he just recently awoke it but was already strong enough to force you to almost use the Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive, my guess, although I don't like to say it is...}

Vali was discretely sweating. If his guess was right then...

{If he masters it completely, then. It could match Ddraig's and my own!} - The tone he used was filled with certainty.

Vali inhaled a cold breath of air. - "In other words he could be—"

{Yes! He could be another Heavenly Dragon!} - He interrupted him.

(Another Heavenly Dragon?!) - He was shocked, not a single word escaped his mouth as he focused on his thoughts.

* * *

.

After some time, they reached the entrance of the Capitol Castle. But neither Vali nor Albion spoke after their conversation ended. Both of them were deeply immersed in their own thoughts.

Unknowingly, Vali walked past the huge oak door and mechanically walked up the stairs.

At the entrance of the office, where the leaders told him they would be, Vali finally regained his cool. Those words really stunned him for some time.

Leaving those thoughts aside he breathed in and out. After feeling like before, he walked inside.

 _*Creeeaakk!*_

A big, round, wooden table was at the center of the room, and aside from the Four Maous others were present; Azazel and the two Seraphs, Michael and Gabriel. They were speaking about something he couldn't quite hear.

After he walked in, all looked directly at him soon noticing his wounds.

"Vali?! What happened?!" - Azazel asked while standing up from his chair. He ran close to him and started to use magic to heal him.

"Let's say that the party was... interrupted." - Feeling grateful for the help, he told to the rest of them.

Nevertheless, before anyone could ask, he said. - "After the current Leviathan left, everything went normally. After half an hour, I was asked by the Sun Goddess to accompany her to retrieve the treasure. Unknowingly, a man stood in front of the door to the treasury." - He explained as his wounds were healed, they weren't that bad.

"Later the Goddess will give you the details, but basically he explained that he was there to retrieve the treasure and give it back to the one that rightfully belonged to. After some talk we fought, but he was strong. When I was almost forced to use my Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive, The God of Storms intervened and decided to stop the fight."

Everyone was surprised, someone forced him to almost use one of his trump cards! They were aware of his current strength, and aside from Ajuka and Sirzechs, the rest knew that they would probably lose if they fought against him.

"Seeing this, the man used all of his strength for an attack, a single swing from his blade..." - Vali gulped at the memory.

"He covered it in black flames that appear to be impossible to be extinguished and attacked. That slash managed to injure the God of Storms to the point that his shoulder was hurt pretty badly, and the wound reached his collarbone. Oh right, he also split in half the entire Imperial Palace." - He said nonchalantly.

Those words managed to scare quite a few. That man managed to harm a God, and a God of Storms and Battle at that! He was a real threat!

"After that, a woman appeared and told us that the treasure belonged to her family." - Vali moved his sore body as he finished his words, feeling a bit sore.

"Who was that woman?" - The current Leviathan asked.

"Her?" - He smirked. - "She's a really special woman, even in my terms." - Vali still had trouble believing that someone like her was alive and allied with a future Dragon Emperor. Just that thought made him want to fight against him again!

"She is a pure Yōkai, a Kyuubi-No-Yōko! In other words, the descendant of Tamamo-No-Mae." - He crossed his arms. - "The God of Storms called her the strongest Yōkai in the World." - The light in his eyes betrayed the calm in his voice.

All present were amazed and speechless. The strongest Yōkai! Just what those words entailed? That, was not a simple compliment!

"What happened after that? How was the man like?" - Azazel asked, this time with light in his eyes. He looked just like a child.

"They escaped." - He waved his hand. - "The woman had the Yasakani-No-Magatama and used it to break space itself and run." - He told them, managing to get another round of shocked expressions.

"About the man... Although I couldn't see his face properly, I did noticed a few things about him." - Everyone looked at him, their eyes begged him to continue with his words.

"He is a Dragon, a really strong one at it." - He narrowed his eyes at his words.

"He has dark brown hair closer to black, and black eyes with a red tinge that were sharper than a knife."

"I couldn't notice his face since it was covered by a weird black stain and the other side was covered by his hair, but by his physical characteristics he looked to be not older than me. Also, he's extremely cold and ruthless." - His voice concealed a shiver.

He told them everything of what he saw in that man not older than him. But... The rest didn't expect those words.

A young man no older than twenty? Capable of wounding him and wounding a God? It sounded like a joke! It shouldn't be possible, but...

"I need to leave." - His words cut their thoughts. - "I have to train and have to see my team. The games will soon begin and I have to register and all of those things." - Vali turned his back to them and walked away, quickly opening the door.

Seeing him close the door the rest started to talk.

"That man seems dangerous." - Ajuka told the rest but Azazel intervened.

"Yes, but I believe the Shinto Faction will want to solve this on their own. So until something happens directly to us, it's not our problem!" - They nodded at his words.

"He's right, we need to focus on the Game and more importantly, on Ise! We still don't know where he is!" - The words of Sirzechs made them have really ugly faces.

The message they heard from Issei. It was really difficult to digest, they all felt so... awful.

"True, we need to focus on that. Right now Ise and the Game are our utmost priorities!" - Azazel said to them, breaking the moody air. And after those words, they decided to talk about the Game and Ise for a while more, until they all started to leave. They had work to do!

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Hyoudou Mansion, Training Field #2—-**

* * *

 **.**

At the same moment, morning reached Japan or more specifically; The Hyoudou Mansion.

A couple of male figures could be seen sprawled on the ground, sweating and breathing heavily. These men, were the current boyfriends of the Gremory Peerage.

"How could you be that strong?!" - Reiji asked at the Devil standing in front of them.

He was a blonde-haired, gentle-looking young man. The Knight of Rias Gremory, Kiba Yuuto.

"How?" - He asked back. - "After a lot of training and almost being killed, you _gain_ strength." - He explained to them with narrowed eyes.

Thanks of the news about the disappearance of Ise, the girls took it terribly. Although they tried to be strong, they just couldn't focus on their tasks. Some even kept crying after they heard the news.

Asia, Irinia and surprisingly Akeno, were the ones that kept crying. And even after his constant reminder that he was alive, they didn't look any better.

Rias was the same, she would stare blankly at space and then tears will start to fall down from her eyes.

Xenovia and Koneko became overly explosive, they trained in a separate area of the field but the increase in aura could be felt by everyone inside. Once they finished their training, they would come back filled with dirt and blood.

Ravel was the same as Rias but she would cry when alone, she was also feeling horrible.

The boys tried their best to help them since last night, but they got ignored. And since their training started, Kiba proposed to them that while the girls get better he would be the one training them.

He fulfilled his promise, and early in the morning he went to get them. After coming to the training field #1 he proposed a little spar, all against him. The result was... obvious, it wasn't even a warm up.

"Guys..." - Kiba held back a sigh. - "You need to improve in a lot of things. You just forced me to use a decent sword from my Sword Birth, much less my Balance Breaker." - The guys heard this and sighed heavily, those words were the hard truth. He was just toying with them, they clearly noticed.

"How strong are you actually?" - Souji asked with hidden anxiety. Kiba's swordsmanship was peerless, not a little scratch could be seen on him. Even when they worked together, they couldn't even make him break a sweat.

"I can confidently say that I can fight a Top-Tier Ultimate-Class and win. After all, I have two Sacred Gears plus some... other things." - He roughly calculated his strength. With both of his ' _Gears_ ' plus all the ' _Demonic Swords_ ', he could fight a Top-Tier Ultimate-Class and win hands down.

Those words made them widen their eyes in shock. An Ultimate Class! Just what kind of existence was that? That's not something they could fight against! Not even dream to oppose it! According to him they were at much, Mid-Tier Mid-Class and that was at their best.

"...No wonder you could defeat us so easily." - Souji was satisfied with his answer, but then Hijama asked. - "And when compared to Hyoudou-senpai?"

Kiba opened his eyes at the unexpected question but he quickly smiled at the memory of his friend.

"Not even with all of my strength could I defeat him." - He knew his friend was stronger than him so he wasn't angry in saying those words.

(((((Is he that much of a monster?))))) - The five thought as they pictured the image of a certain brown-haired youth with his back turned at them.

"Haaa... Any advices you can give us Yuuto-kun?" - Ryutaro asked him while trying to stand up.

He nodded his head. - "Of course. Why would I have fought you if I didn't have any advices?" - Kiba made the normal, silver-looking sword in his hand disappear.

"First, you all need to improve with your Sacred Gears!"

They all had Battle-Oriented Sacred Gears. And according to the book about Sacred Gears they read last night, they were quite decent.

"Hijama-kun." - He looked at the little boy. - "Your Sacred Gear specializes in the increase of your ' _Magic Reserves!'_ Train and practice with it. The more you use it, the more the increase in your reserves will be." - He said to the little boy.

"You all do know the names of your Sacred Gears, right?" - Kiba wanted them to know at least that, it was the most basic thing after all.

"""""Yes!"""""

Yesterday, in the Library of the house, they spent all of their time searching for their Sacred Gears, fortunately they found them.

"Then, as a test, explain your Sacred Gear to me and its abilities!" - Kiba crossed his arms, he definitely could be an excellent teacher.

"I'll start!" - Hijama decided to be the first, getting only a nod from the rest as a response.

"Mine is named ' _Tome of Magic._ ' It summons a book that's capable of increasing the reserves of the user to rival that of a High-Class Devil. The Balance Breaker of the book is to record a certain number of spells and activate them immediately without using my magical reserves!" - He explained.

"Good! At least you know the basics." - Kiba was satisfied.

"I'll be next." - Ken for the first time talked, no one objected on him going next.

"My Sacred Gear is a demonic spear, ' _Green Dragon Crescent Blade._ ' Based on the one general ' _Guan Yu'_ had in the ' _Romance of the Three Kingdoms._ ' A replica of course." - When he said that, a black Bō with a crescent blade at the top appeared on his hand. The blade was bright green and had a Dragon engraved on it.

While nodding his head, Kiba ordered. - "Continue."

"It has the ability to constantly heal me, as well as increasing the speed of my attacks by a big margin! The Balance Breaker is said to summon the original horse of the general and give me a replica of his armour. Hereby increasing every ability I have!"

His Sacred Gear was different from the rest, and that proved to be more useful. He liked that about his Sacred Gear.

"Okay, sounds interesting." - Kiba was a little bit interested in the spear.

He then pointed a Souji signifying his turn.

He stood up and said. - "Mine is more of a support-oriented Sacred Gear. It's named ' _False Gift._ ' An ability which lets me create a complete clone of myself that has the same abilities. The Balance Breaker lets me create an uncountable amount of clones, all having their own mind!"

(That Balance Breaker... It can be quite annoying...) - Kiba was curious about that Balance Breaker.

Then his eyes rested on the next figure. Knowing what that meant, Ryutaro stood up.

"Mine is called ' _Mantle of Caos._ ' It creates a mantle of red energy that surrounds my body. It can disturb any magic thrown at me, dissipating it. The Balance Breaker can absorb the magic thrown at me and with that energy increase my physical abilities temporarily!" - He was proud of the ability of his Sacred Gear.

(Meh. Good enough.) - Kiba then turned his eyes to the last one present.

"Mine is called ' _Perfect Warrior._ ' A rare Sacred Gear that's capable of creating any piece of armor I wish, increasing my magical and physical resistance as well as my physical capabilities on the part of my body that's covered by the armor." - It seemed his Sacred Gear was a bit stronger that the rest.

"The Balance Breaker is capable of creating a full body armour alongside a weapon that has all the former abilities but on a much higher scale!" - His Sacred Gear was the strongest of all of them, but compared to Kiba's, it was a tier below.

"Good. You all know of your Sacred Gears, the next part is to train with them and awaken the Balance Breaker. With that done you can become much stronger!" - Kiba explained to them while sounding serious, a small smile on his face.

The rest nodded, they had a lot of things to do.

After that they decided to start the training again, however, a magic circle appeared on the center of the field.

Seeing the serpentine crest and the blue color Kiba paled. - (That's not good!)

After the light filled the room, a dozen or so of people could be seen.

"Yo! Kiba! How's everything going?" - An average-looking man walked near him and greeted.

He had a normal face and blonde hair with blue eyes. He had a casual and friendly attitude but the aura he emanated was really dense, as if he was cursed by something _monstrous_.

The five men took a step back, afraid of the presence he had.

"Saji-kun." - Kiba smiled sincerely. - "It's been a while. Things have been... not that good." - Kiba said to him with a tired face.

Seeing this, Saji wanted to ask more about it but another figure appeared.

A woman with piercing, cold and calculating violet eyes. Having short black hair and glasses on her face. She had an emotionless look written on her face but due to her short in height, it reduce the desired effect.

"Kiba-san, greetings." - She bowed ever so slightly.

"What do you mean by that?" - The woman asked with piercing eyes.

"Sona-sama..." - He held back a sigh. - "It should be better for my master to explain things to you. Please, only bring the necessary people, she isn't well." - Kiba bowed deeply to her and asked.

The woman was surprised, but seeing the face the young man had she knew that something happened.

"Very well." - So she agreed.

She turned around and looked at two of her subordinates, the blonde-haired from before and a beautiful woman with long black hair and a big bust. She also had glasses but hers were deep blue in color, different from the pink ones Sona had.

"Tsubaki, Saji, come with me! We'll visit Rias!" - She ordered and the two mentioned only nodded their heads.

""Yes, Sona-sama!"" - They answered with an almost military tone.

"The rest please stay here. Help Kiba-kun with whatever he needs." - The rest of her Peerage nodded their heads and stayed, practically doing nothing.

"Yuuto-kun, please ask them for anything in your training." - She called back to him and the started to walk to the exit, followed by her ' _Queen_ ' and her ' _Pawn._ '

Reaching the elevator door Saji asked her.

"Sona-sama, what do you think happened?" - Saji was intrigued, he saw how Kiba was...down, but he seemed to hold it back.

"I do not know. But by the look in his eyes, I can say that it's nothing good..." - She started to think, quickly trying to find an answer for the question, yet not a single idea came to her mind.

Opening the door of the elevator she pushed the button labeled as 3, it wasn't her first time in the Hyoudou Mansion.

The journey up ended really fast, soon the door opened and a huge hallway was seen with a couple of doors at either side.

"Tsubaki, Saji go and find the rest of Rias's Team. I'll go look for her." - She walked out of the elevator.

Both of the mentioned ones nodded their heads at her orders and left in opposite directions.

Sona went to the second door from the right and knocked.

* _Knock-Knock-Knock!_ *

"Rias? Are you there?" - She asked, hoping for her friend to answer.

...

...

...

...

...

Not hearing an answer she decided to enter.

"I'm coming in." - She turned the doorknob and walked inside.

Her friend was standing near the window, looking outside. She could see how her eyes were red and the look in her eyes that appeared to be lost in thought.

Rias didn't notice her presence in her room, instead, she kept looking out the window.

"Rias? What happened? Why are you like this?" - It seemed those words woke her up from her daydreaming.

"Sona? Why are you here?" - Rias asked back, her voice sounded raspy as if she was sobbing not too long ago.

"I had some free time and came to talk with you, but it seems something happened." - Sona fixed the position of her glasses and approached Rias. She then sat on her bed and patted the other side.

"Sit. We need to talk." - Those words sounded more like an order than a proposal.

Rias nodded her head and sat down at her side, her head hanging low.

After some minutes neither of them talked, however, Sona asked.

"Ready to talk?" - She was worried over her friend.

* _Nod-Nod._ *

Rias looked into her eyes. - "..It's about Ise..."

Those words made Sona widen her eyes. - (What exactly happened?!)

She saw those eyes once before, when Ise was presumed dead! That moment was definitely the worst for the Gremory Group.

But she dismissed the thought, instead, the idea that they had some problems in their relationship and due to that Rias was extremely affected filled her head.

"Please explain Rias, I can help." - Her words soft and calm.

"...okay..." - Rias' voice was low.

She began her explanation, her head low refusing to make eye contact.

"I was scared..." - Sona decided not to interrupt her, she knew this was important.

"My relationship with Ise when the Beast was sealed and after it was extremely slow! I was afraid that I wasn't doing a good job as his girlfriend..."

Those words... Sona knew something happened and the cause was not Ise, rather, it was her!

"I... I didn't know what to do! Every conversation we had was empty and direct, just straight to the point! For a couple that's not something good!" - Tears fell from her eyes.

"There where times in which I didn't know how to answer. I didn't know what to do! I didn't know what to talk about!" - She was grieving. - "I wanted to go on a date with him but things were so complicated... If we couldn't even talk, then what about a date? It would have gone horrible! Possibly starting a big problem rather than fixing it!" - Rias ended up screaming.

"I have never been with a man... The only ones I have ever talked to were my father, my brother and his Peerage and Sairaorg. I didn't know how to become closer to him! I didn't know what to do!"

Rias has always been solely with women. Getting closer to a man was extremely difficult, and starting a normal conversation or something alongside those lines was basically impossible for her.

She was always with her friends and not once was she interested in the other sex, not until Issei appeared.

He changed her whole world. This time she wanted to know more, to experience more and to make him happy. Yet, because of her inability of talking naturally with the opposite sex, she wasn't making any advances in their relationship.

Sure, she could seduce him like she always did, but a relationship isn't just that. So the only thing she could do was trying to experience more.

"I thought that if things kept going like this we... We would have to break up!" - Tears came from her eyes even worse than before, Sona just placed a hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her.

"I was so scared I... I... I just stopped talking to him! The fear, the impotence of being unable to solve this _ate_ me from the inside out. So... I... I just... left him, I ignore him and I..." - She couldn't finish her words as she shook her head.

"After some time, I calmed my thoughts down and began searching for an answer to this problem. I... wanted an answer, anything could work." - She explained. - "Then I got an idea! What if I get closer to other men? That way I could solve this problem once and for all!"

Sona widened her eyes. - (Please... tell me you did not.) - She wholeheartedly wanted her guesses to be wrong, she truly did.

"I focused more on school and tried to get closer to the men in my faculty. Soon, I started to understand what men liked to talk about, what they wanted to do, what they liked on a woman. My plan was working! That horrible emotion I felt started to fade the more I noticed how I was improving!" - Rias was gripping her hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Then, I thought; what if I get into a " _relationship"_ with someone to gain the experience I so desperately needed? That way I would know what to do in those kinds of situations! That way I could succeed into trying to be closer with Ise!" - Her words sounded bad, Sona knew that was a great mistake.

"So I did. I got closer to a senpai of mine." - She confessed. - "Soon, Akeno noticed and asked; ' _Why?_ ' I answered and explained to her how I felt, and told her the the same words I just said to you. She also thought it was a good idea... She also felt that this would work as she was similarly afraid of what I told her. Akeno believed that the same would happen to her since almost all of the time she spent with Ise she felt something similar."

"So we aimed for the same guy and the closer we got to him, the more we liked him. He reminded us about our childhood days in which we would talk about the perfect man for us. He fit that description perfectly!" - Rias tried to explain.

On the other hand, Sona was paralyzed. Her guess we actually right! She hated that she was right on that!

"After spending more time together we went on a date. It was perfect! Everything I wanted with Ise, but…..." - Her eyes were teary again.

"The rest noticed this and asked us why." - She confessed. - "Similar to Akeno they thought it wasn't a bad idea so they tried it out with men they thought as interesting and like us, they started to like it."

"Talking about nothing particularly important, feeling like normal girls not related to the supernatural, being treated in a nice not lustful way…..."

Sona was surprised because she didn't think the rest did it as well!

"Every day was perfect! But we started to forget about Ise..." - Her tone was filled with guilt.

"Day after day we didn't talk to him, nor see him. Every time he tried to talk to us we would cut him out, we would scream at him, we would completely ignore him! All of us were rude and aggressive towards him!" - She continued, trying her best to hold her tears back.

"He tried and tried, but we ignored him and forgot about the things he did for us! We were too blinded by the ' _feelings_ ' we had for the new guys. It was nice to be treated as a lady and not being looked at like a piece of meat... It was nice to have something to talk about that was not related to our lives in the Supernatural..." - She couldn't hide the guilty pleasure she felt.

"The safety we felt during a normal conversation was _sooo_ good. There wasn't a thing that we thought as bad." - Rias turned her head and stared at the ceiling, her eyes puffy and red.

"But all those moments we spent with them made us compare them with him. We insulted him behind his back! We scorned him about his faults and treated him as trash behind _his_ back! We made ourselves think he was not the good man we thought he was!" - She screamed with her hoarse throat as she covered her face with her hand, ashamed of what she did.

"After some problems occurred in our relationships, we remembered all the things he did for us. Everyone felt so confused... The feelings we have are still firmly rooted in our hearts, but we confused our goal and after we remembered it. Ise... Ise... Ise was gone!" - Those were her last words, she explained everything from beginning to the end.

Sona was astonished! The reasons she told her were absolutely stupid! Even for her that has never been in a relationship, she knew her reasons were the epitome of selfishness and stupidity!

It's normal to be afraid, but in these types of situations you go and talk with the ones involved and try to figure things out.

If that doesn't work, then go talk with your parents, brothers, sisters, friends and try to solve it. But she just ignored all of that and decided to try a incredibly stupid idea? And that idea got its repercussions.

She literally cheated on Ise in the worst possible way! The rest did the same! They abandoned him and left Issei to his own luck! They, without a question, changed him for someone that they thought it was better!

But exactly how many men would lay their lives down not once but multiple times for theirs? Without a second thought?

Sona knew that those men were basically none existent. Hyoudou Issei and Saji were rare exceptions. You could say they are miracles in the world, as ironic as that sounds.

The girls were suffering because of their choices, and when they noticed that not everything was as good as they thought, they started to remember him.

Sona stopped her thoughts. A question appeared on her head. - "What do you mean he's _gone_?" - She thought she heard wrongly.

"Yes! Because of us, Ise is gone! No one can find him!" - Rias' tears became ever more present.

"He's gone?!" - Sona was shocked, never would she have thought that Hyoudou Issei would just bail! Just how much had he suffered for him to choose that amongst all possible options!?

"He... He removed his Pieces! Not even Ajuka-sama knows how! He decided to take his Pieces even if it cost his own life, just to get away from here. To get away from us!"

Sona, like a friend, approached her and although she knew that she was in the wrong, she told her.

"Rias. You feel guilty, but breaking down like this won't help." - Her voice soothing. - "If you want to do something that helps, then start to prepare an apology for when you see him again." - That was the very basic.

"I know he will appear again, and at that time rather than seeing how broken you are, show him how regretful you are. Explain your situation and solve the problem with both, the guy you chose and him. At that moment, you need to choose whether him or the other guy. You need to be clear about it! And maybe, he'll forgive you. You know how good of a person he is!" - Sona gifted her a smile.

Hearing those words made Rias have hope again, her tears stopped and soon, light came to her eyes.

(Yes! I need to explain! If I am able to explain to him what happened, he would understand!) - Her thoughts kept spinning.

(At that moment, I can fix my relationship with him! And although I like Reiji, he won't be my husband. That's only Ise! I'll explain to the both of them and fix things up with Ise while still being on good terms with Reiji!)

Her thoughts kept flying. Her best case scenario was for Ise to understand and wait for things between Reiji and her to fall. Then, with that experience, she will be an even better woman for him!

(Yes! That's perfect!)

If anyone heard her thoughts they would think ' _Is that woman crazy?_ ' But since no one could, she believed that was the correct thing to do.

"Excellent! Let's tell the rest, that way things will be better." - Sona saw the light in her eyes and replied.

(Maybe this time I actually helped...) - She was glad that for the first time, she helped her best friend in a serious situation.

They walked out the room and saw Saji and Tsubaki standing near the door, it seemed that they did not find anyone.

"Sona-sama, we couldn't find anyone." - He felt ashamed but Saji still reported.

"Do not worry, things will be fixed. Later on, I'll explain everything."

After her words they started to search for everyone. And after half an hour they found all of females and gathered them back at Ise's room. ...The women were in pretty bad shape.

Sona asked her Pawn and Queen to go help Kiba, that they would get things done here on their own. Leaving only the Female part of the Gremory Peerage and Ravel, both Rias and Sona started to explain.

Another half an hour passed and finally, the women looked better, at least now they had a goal on their minds; to apologize to him.

They went back to their normal selves and just like Rias, they hoped that Ise could understand and wait for their relationships to end before coming back to him.

That way all of them will feel better and their relationships with him will go a step ahead!

But they didn't know that something like that was no longer possible, not knowing that the next time they meet Ise, he would be an entirely different person...

"Rias, what about the rest?" - Akeno asked implying the rest of the women that loved Ise.

"Rossweisse will be back soon, after all, we need her to train for the games. Sona is extremely busy with the school so she won't participate." - At the mention of the Valkyrie they nodded.

"Kuroka is in Kyoto, and will surely participate in the team of Vali. I don't know about Le Fay but she should also participate as a part of Vali's team." - She explained while placing a hand on her chin.

"Do you think we'll only meet them at the beginning of the tournament?" - Akeno asked back.

"I don't know, but I think it will be sooner." - She replied, she knew that they will meet sooner rather than later.

"Gasper is still at the Hospital, but he's informed about everything not... damaging. It appears that soon enough Valerie will be able to leave that place and he will come back."

The rest of her team was either doing an important mission or helping someone they cared about. She knew that they would come back soon. Almost all the things they had to do were already done.

"What about Ophis-sama and Lilith-sama?" - Ravel asked, not knowing what the pair of them were doing.

"According to Brother, they told him and the rest that they had things to do in the gap since the battle was so destructive that it affected that place." - Ravel understood and nodded at the words of Rias.

"So for now, we need to focus on training! We have to show a great result in the tournament!"

"""""Yes!""""" - All of the present ones, except for Ravel, replied with a loud voice. Ravel didn't know if she was going to participate in the games, she wasn't interested in them.

Getting out of Ise's room they reached the elevator and went inside it. They pushed the button labeled with a minus two and after a couple of seconds, they reached the training field.

The members of the Sitri Peerage could be seen sparring with the boys, well only if they weren't losing so terribly.

Hearing the sound of the door opening everyone stopped their " _sparring"_ and looked over to them.

Kiba saw how the girls had their spirit back, but something in their eyes made him uncomfortable as if they planned something that was an extremely bad idea.

"We're back! Sorry about the last day, it just affected us too much that Ise is missing." - The men nodded at Rias' words.

The Sitri Peerage turned to look at their King, seeing in her eyes an ' _I'll explain everything later_ ' they let the matter slide.

"From this moment on we will all train to improve to the extreme. Guys, you will be trained by someone of us depending on your style, but not for too long. The rest of the time you can go to the Library or train on your own and discover new things about your Sacred Gears."

Hearing those words they understood, her Peerage also needed to prepare themselves for the game.

Since the mention of the Game they were interested so yesterday they talked among themselves and reached a conclusion.

"Rias." - Reiji stood up and said. - "Since Hyoudou is missing we thought that maybe we can help you during the games!"

They knew Ise's worth of 8 Pieces and they were only five, so maybe that way they could help a little for all the things they had helped them at.

Rias and the rest were surprised, but his words were correct. Without Ise, a big hole was left on the team and although they couldn't fill it, they could help them in that aspect.

"I'll think about it. If you show great progress during the training and become stronger then, I'll let you participate!" - Those words were like music to their ears, they all had smiles on their faces and nodded their heads joyfully.

"""""Thank You!""""" - They said in unison.

"Rias, I need to leave. The school won't administer for itself after all. All of us need to be there, so I bid you farewell." - Sona dismissed herself and activated the magic circle, everyone in her Peerage stood over it.

Their faces held some confused looks mainly due to the talk that man just had with Rias, but before they could ask a brief flash of light filled the room and blinded them momentarily. After that, Sona's Peerage was gone.

"Well everyone, let's start the training!" - Her voice was like in the past, filled with dignity and strength, something all were quite fond of.

(Ise... I swear over my name as a Gremory that I'll apologize for the wrongs I did! And, in some way, compensate everything to you!) - She was resolute in her vow. She wanted to quickly find Ise and fix everything she and the rest had done wrong.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Nasuno, Outside a Shrine / A few Days Later.—-**

* * *

 **.**

On an open grass field, two people could be seen. A man and a woman were fighting, training their abilities further improving them. Behind them, a Japanese Shrine could be seen. It was all the way up the mountain reaching almost the blue skies.

That place was the former home of Fuuki, the Shrine where her family had lived at. To her, this was an extremely important place, and now she was with the man she held affection for in this same place! She couldn't be happier!

During the past couple of days, Ise perfectly healed and soon started to train. He needed to increase his stamina and resistance since he experienced how bad he actually was after his "Revival." So he decided to practice with many different training methods.

From the simple physical exercise with a lot of weight, that thanks to resistance magic he asked Fuuki to cast, to increase the Gravity of his surroundings reducing his mobility and movements like he was moving through water. Among others he "borrowed" from animes he had watched a couple of months ago.

And thanks to these methods, he improved by leaps and bounds! Getting back his former... everything. Even his body gained more muscle, something he was grateful of. He believed that he now had a pretty decent musculature, not bad at all.

And after seeing him train daily, Fuuki asked if she could be his sparring partner. Ise agreed to her request almost instantly.

She also wanted to improve on her fighting skills, and since both of them were going to participate in the World Class Rating Game she thought it was a good idea.

And ever since a couple of days ago both started to fight against each other seriously and each day Ise was more surprised than the one before. She was a monster!

During close range, she would use Touki and then reinforce it with Senjutsu. Since her Close Combat wasn't that good she would compensate it with the both of them.

For distractions and faints, her Youjutsu made him even doubt about the real one from the clones she created. And a big surprise for him was how she used ' _Onmyōdō Arts._ '

It appeared to be that inside the shrine many Talismans were piled in boxes and boxes, so she took quite the number of them.

" _Frozen_ _Heaven_!" - While throwing a Talisman at Ise she screamed.

Ise, seeing this, dodged it without breaking a sweat, but odly enough he jumped a big distance upwards.

When the Talisman hit the ground a pillar of ice surged from it and everything in a 15 meter diameter was frozen solid. Turned into a gigantic ice block. And that was what only one of her Talismans was capable of, quite frightening...

" **Hell Blaze!** " - While using his flames, Ise covered his entire right arm. It turned into an oversized claw of some kind of beast.

Then he swung his arm and alongside it, a huge wave of black flames that seemed to cover the skies was seen.

Fuuki covered herself with a huge amount of Touki. At the same time, in both of her hands, Senjutsu hexagons spun at high speeds and even the Touki surrounding her became bigger and brighter.

* _BOOOOOOOMMMMM!_ *

An explosion was heard and a cloud of smoke was formed, covering the whole sky!

Ise did not let his guard down. Using his Darkness he covered his left arm and right thigh on instinct, and soon it proved to be the right call.

The cloud dissipated and a slightly injured Fuuki could be seen, a Talisman was on her hand but this one was glowing brightly and had many Senjutsu hexagons behind it.

"That's not good..." - He knew that if he took a hit from that Talisman, he wouldn't get out unscathed.

" _Burning_ _Heavens_!" - The Talisman was thrown and a huge sea of fire errupted from it, covering Ise's view!

(It seems she reinforced and enhanced the Talisman to the limit with Senjutsu. Creating an attack that anything lower than a High-Tier Ultimate-Class would be turned into a crisp by just touching it...)

Widening his eyes at his thought he lifted his left hand to his side and then he murmured. - " **Purgatory Flame Bird...** "

A sphere of Darkness with a red nuclei appeared below his hand. It deformed and took the shape of a really odd-looking bird.

While tilting its little head upwards, it just flapped its wings.

* _Swoosh!_ *

The bird dived into the sea of pure red flames! Reaching ' _Mach 2_ ' in the process!

The moment the bird touched the sea of fire, the sea dissolved instantly, posing no difficulty to it at all. Flapping its wings again it broke the sound barrier for the third time.

Fukki saw that bird and immediately prepared her strongest defensive spell.

She grasped her left wrist with her right hand as five different-coloured flames appeared at the tip of her fingers.

Behind her, a huge magic circle in the shape of an Hexagon was present, glowing blue. And Five different Talismans surrounded hand, eventually being consumed by a flame in each of her fingers.

A pentagram was slowly formed at the front of her left palm! It began expanding, covering everything in her sight.

" _Camp_ _Turtle_ _Shield;_ _Evil_ _Suppression_!" - She yelled as she fueled her spell to the max. She knew how strong Issei's attack was and she was very scared of it.

The bird struck the pentagram in front of her.

* _BBOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!_ *

And soon it formed a small, miniature-looking sun at the zone of impact.

Ise was seeing everything from above, the hit from his **'** **Purgatory Flame Bird'** was as powerful as always!

He floated back to the ground, smirking. That was a direct hit! She wouldn't come out unscathed from that one.

"Good." - He talked to himself while seeing the small sun disappear from his sight.

After which, a weak-looking pentagram was the first thing he saw. It gave the impression of breaking with the slightest of touches. Cracks adorned its entire surface and three of its corners were burnt off completely.

Fuuki was behind it, wounded, but not heavily so. Nevertheless, even after all of her efforts, plus coating herself with Tōuki, the hit from that annoying bird still manage to hurt her, badly.

Her dress was burnt here and there. Her left arm and even more so, her palm was scorched quite seriously as some spots were charred black. Her right hand, which covered her wrist, had small, black embers burning furiously on top of it.

The rest of her body had first or second-degree burns. Her Senjutsu was healing her, albeit slowly. And thanks to her Tōuki, and her Senjutsu, she did not suffer much more from the attack.

Seeing her figure, Ise was amazed. - "Incredible..."

Shock was an understatement of what he felt right now. She managed to survive his most destructive attack with only those wounds!

"Really... what an incredible woman." - He mumbled under his breath not noticing how she blushed.

A satisfied smile appeared on her face. - (But of course!~) - She even felt prideful at the comment!

But the match hasn't finished. She healed her wounds and after much effort, eliminated the black flames covering her right wrist.

Then, she made her move, a Talisman different from the others appeared.

The others were pure white in color with a black ink, but this one was black with a red ink and had many intricate designs on its edges.

She threw it on top of her head and chanted!

" _Thunder of the Blue sky, Descend! " -_ Her words sounded like the rumbling of thunder. - " _Black Lightning!"_

The Talisman exploded in a blinding light and on its place, a huge lightning bolt appeared.

She moved her left hand and pointed it at Ise. The lightning bolt as if having a mind of its own, flew towards Ise.

(...I should have a trump card like that...) - Ise watched as the lightning bolt reached him in a fraction of a second, not capable of dodging.

* _CRAAAAAACCCKK!_ * * _BBOOOOOOOMMMMMM!_ *

The ground gave in as the bolt struck him, then a huge explosion followed up. The sizzling of lightning could be heard and a few electric currents were accompanying it.

Fuuki was calm, she wanted to see how he ended up after that attack.

The crater was ridiculously big and deep. She knew he would have taken some serious damage with that hit, that being her best single-target lightning spell.

Walking without dropping her guard, she reached the edge of the crater. Pillars of smoke were seen here and there but the tallest was the one at the center. A big column of smoke flew all the way to the sky reaching the white clouds.

She waited at the edge of the crater and soon the smoke dissipated.

Ise was standing there, his Darkness surrounded him as if hugging him.

His wounds were bad, droplets of blood fell to the ground from both of his arms which were used as a last resort shield. Both of them charred black and some parts were white, exposing the bone.

He received the full end of the hit with his arms.

He stood there, unmoving, his eyes closed. Luckily for him, the blow didn't reach his face so he was only burnt on some spots and wasn't serious at all.

When Fuuki saw him like that her face lost all color.

She used all of her strength in that spell and being her best one in the destructive field, it did great damage. But she never expected for it to be able to hurt Ise that badly!

"Ise!" - She screamed, guilt filtering in her voice.

At the same time the Darkness surrounding him started to move, like a Cocoon, it enveloped him. At that moment her heart was on her throat.

After less than a minute the cocoon disappeared as if it was never there. Instead, a perfectly healed Ise was on its place.

His eyes were wide open, disbelief filled them.

"What exactly happened?"

He was surprised, the moment that blow struck him he felt his consciousness leave him. He used his Darkness as a last effort to withstand the hit, but he still got wounded by it and ended up pretty badly.

"Is that another ability from my Aura?" - The Cocoon that appeared on him completely healed his wounds at a pace even faster than his Darkness!

If he used his normal Darkness to heal those wounds, he would spent a couple of hours on them since they were pretty bad. Yet that cocoon healed him in less than a minute!

"With that I can survive even if I'm half-dead!" - A life-saving trump card that could possibly restore him to perfect health!

After moving for a little bit he felt how his body was heavy and exhausted. - (It works the same as my normal Darkness.) - He concluded.

A pitch-black blur flew towards him, hitting him and then falling to the ground.

It turned out to be Fuuki who was holding him with all of her strength. Some small tears fell from her eyes.

"Ise! I'm sorry! I... I never thought it would be so powerful!" - She continued her hugging.

Seeing her like this Ise smiled, it seemed she really cared for him.

After these days together they got closer to each other and Ise was liking her more and more. He felt extremely grateful to her, she proved to be a caring and outstanding woman. He really liked those qualities of hers.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." - He stood up with the still hugging Fuuki who now held a blush on her cheeks.

(So warmmm!~) - She was thinking while feeling his body heat.

Seeing her like that, Ise grabbed her and yanked her off him some experience in his movements, proving it wasn't the first time.

"Thank you. You helped me improve once again!"

Seeing the light in his eyes Fuuki felt relief and nodded her head, but her thoughts were completely different.

(Why didn't you let me hug you more?!) - She felt betrayed at the movements of Ise, every time she tried to get closer he would brush it off. But now it appeared to be that he let her rest on him for a while longer, even if it was seconds longer.

(Slowly. _I'll_ win your heart.) - She smiled at him yet that smile made him sweat. It gave the impression of an animal playing with its prey.

He quickly dropped the thought from his head and said. - "We have been here for some time. So now it's time for us to leave and explore." - He told her, getting a brilliant gleam on her eyes as a response. That light was enough for him.

"Where are we going?" - She asked back, excited about their destination.

"Romania, The Land of the Vampires. Quite the place, cold but really beautiful!"

He made his decision some time ago. Since he didn't tour around it properly, he wanted to properly visit the territory of the Vampires. He felt intrigued about their territory and he felt he needed to go as if something important was hidden there. A really weird feeling but he wanted to listen to it.

"I see!~" - She clapped both of her hands in front of her chest highlighting her breasts.

Ise turned his whole body around so as to hide his small blush, he didn't want to give her the pleasure.

"It's early in the morning. After a couple of hours of rest we will depart!" - He soon told her, Fuuki just nodded and was thinking in ' _How the place actually looked?_ '

While walking Issei remembered that black cocoon and decided to name it. - (Going with simplicity. **'** **Dark Cocoon!'** That should be its name, a life-saving card!)

He then moved away from the crater and reached the stairs to the shrine, Fuuki right by his side.

The shrine they currently lived at was unbelievably beautiful for a human construct, laying at the top of a mountain and having a couple of trees in its vicinity gifting them quite the view.

The building itself was firmly rooted at the center of the top of the mountain. Small cobblestone steps were located in the ground, creating a small path up. The surroundings were just green grass with a couple of flowers on it.

The building was big and had an inclined roof, the walls were painted in white and the entire shire was slightly elevated off the ground. All in all, it looked like the perfect, classic, Japanese house.

This place was the home of the Kyuubi-No-Yōko for generations, those being Fuuki's mother and grandmother. Now, she was the owner of the place.

"I like how relaxing the atmosphere in this place is!" - Fuuki told Ise as they stepped onto the cobblestone path, his response was just a nod of his head.

"Yeah. Quite relaxing." - He agreed.

Ise loved the view he got from this height and also loved how the place actually was, not extravagant but not simple. The perfect mixture in his eyes, and a suitable home.

"We will need to prepare for the trip. I won't use my **'** **Hell Gate'** since I don't want to appear in the main castles. Let's use the Yasakani-No-Magatama. " - Ise wanted to tour the country and to see it as it really was, not just going to a special location.

"Fine by me!~" - The words of Fuuki sounded flirty, this made Ise roll his eyes. The woman liked to play with him, a lot.

"Then let's take a break and then we will leave." - While nodding at his words Fuuki opened the door to the building.

She went first and Ise followed, they planned to eat something or talk for the necessary amount of time.

Like that, they ate and talked about different things, mainly about their destination; Romania.

After recuperating from the exhaustion, Ise asked her to use the treasure.

"Fuuki, let's leave." - He went outside, the fox following after him.

"Sure!~" - Her flirty voice was heard yet again.

(Wow... That tone, makes me sweat...) - Ise felt... threatened, every time he heard that tone.

" _Break the boundary between worlds Yasakani-No-Magatama, Transfer!" -_ Like a melody, her words echoed at the top of the mountain.

The bracelet on her wrist expanded soon covering the height of a person and it soon started to spin.

Inside the circumference of the bracelet was a pitch black world, many lights glowing inside of it.

"Hide your tails. Let's hope that we appear on an unpopulated location." - Taking heed to his words she hid them as she walked towards the portal. Shaking her hips in a suggestive way on purpose.

Issei was momentarily lost in the entrancing movement of her hips but he quickly returned to himself.

The moment she went through it she disappeared from his view.

"Haaa…..." - Ise was relieved. - "That woman is being too flirty with me!" - He walked through the portal like her.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Town of Kadath, Romania.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Mist was all over the ground, not letting anyone distinguish what color it was.

A small town was seen in the distance, it looked old and unpopulated. And the surroundings were filled with tall trees that covered the sides of the road.

The sky had clouds covering the vast majority of it, blocking all types of light. One could say it was day time since the sky looked light in color, that being a dull gray similar to cement.

A vortex appeared at the center of the desolated road, it then increased in size to the point that a person could go through it.

A beautiful woman came from it.

She had a black dress with red accents and the whole dress reached just above her knees. She also wore black sandals with strips that coiled around her ankles and her calfs.

She had piercing red eyes and long hair similar to the night sky that was tied with a red ribbon by the ends of it.

"Mmmm?~" - She looked around her current location.

"A rather gloomy place to be at, huh?" - The beauty concluded, but even with the comment she still liked the view. It was filled with trees, bushes, plants and flowers.

"This certainly will be a great opportunity!" - Light shone through those red eyes of hers, she was scheming about how to get closer to Ise!

Since the last couple of days they got closer to the point that they could be called great friends, but she wasn't satisfied with only that! No! She wanted, _needed,_ more than just that.

"I'll make you mine! HuHuHu!~" - The comment she made and the tone she used could scare the bravest warrior, but being with a beauty like her didn't sound bad at all.

She turned around at the precise moment in which another person came from the vortex, which closed soon after.

It was a man proudly standing over 1.85cm or six foot one in height.

He wore a grey coat and black pants with a same colored t-shirt. His boots, brown in color with a tinge of red, were similar to the red in his coat.

His eyes were a mixture of black, holding an indescribable sharpness.

"Where did you bring us Fuuki?" - The tone of his voice sounded sharp yet warm, oddly enough, the woman loved it.

"Don't know!~" - Trying to sound cute she tilted her head as she responded.

The man widened his eyes and sighed, he probably was tired.

"Fuuki…..." - He named the woman who only smirked deviously.

"I truly don't know! I set the destination to be in Romania but the exact position was random. Thought it would be more fun that way!~"

(This woman will be my doom!) - Ise was certain of it, although he could say that it was also much more interesting this way.

"Let's go. We need to find out where we exactly are." - He followed the path and walked at the direction of the town, the fox closely at his side.

After the short walk they reached the main gate of the town, semi-destroyed walls at either side of it. It appeared to be that they were made out of bricks.

The gate was fully open, from side to side. Inside it however, was covered with more mist than before and gave a rather ghostly vibe.

"Don't let your guard down. We don't know what we could find." - Ise crossed the wide open steel gate and reached what he believed to be the main road.

"This place seems weird." - The fox spoke to him. As a response, he walked closer to her side, to the great satisfaction of the woman.

The town seemed deserted, the buildings seemed to be over a century old and were already falling over.

The vegetation of the Forest covered the buildings that were closer to the edge of the Town, while some tree roots went underneath the main road and lifted the stone slabs up.

The roofs were cracked and so were the walls. Broken windowpanes were seen in every building while some of their doors were wide open.

At the bottommost part of the road, a mansion could be seen. This one in the worst condition than all the buildings up until now.

"It seems it's a ghost town!" - Meanwhile, Fuuki paled and reached closer to him, hugging his arm.

"G-Ghost T-Town!?"

"Oh? What do we have here? The woman that even disrespected Gods is scared of an empty town?" - Ise teased her, she responded with a pinch to his arm and a pout on her face.

(Even if it hurts, it was worth it!) - He was satisfied with his deed.

"Don't tease me Ise!" - She screamed on his ear.

"Sorry. Sorry. You looked too cute for me not to do it. Let's check this place out, maybe we'll find something interesting." - Blushing at his words, Fuuki only nodded as he started to walk in the direction of the biggest mansion right at the end of the road.

"Why do you think this place ended up like this?" - Trying to calm her down, he asked.

At the question she regained her bearing and fell into thought.

"If you want my guess. Then the cause could be either the Vampires or the Lycanthropes. After all, they always fought for territory or just because of a personal vendetta, maybe this town stood in the middle of a confrontation between them?" - Her guess sounded logical, Ise actually agreed to it, but he had a different thought.

"Maybe this town was used by the Vampires as a base. I think the church found out about the treatment to the humans here and their abuse to them. In response, they sent a group of exorcists to clean the whole town." - His guess also sounded logical but both of them lacked information.

"Sounds good. Maybe inside that place we can find clues!" - Having literally nothing better to do they decided to search for the reason of the destruction of the town.

"Sure." - He shrugged his shoulders and continued their walk.

Both of them looked at their surroundings, finding many clues.

"I see places that have been burnt, some have odd scratches on the buildings' facade." - Fuuki said to him.

"On this side, apart from that, I see bullet holes as well as long narrow cuts going through the walls and doors. In other words, we can conclude that the town was indeed destroyed because of supernatural causes." - He told the woman who only nodded her head.

"Indeed so!" - The mystery of the Town was making them feel excited!

After looking at the buildings and houses from the outside, they reached their main objective; the biggest mansion in the Town.

"Wooow! ...The place suffered a lot." - Noticing how damaged the mansion was, Fuuki said in a loud voice.

"Quite destroyed..." - Ise agreed to her words as he looked at the badly damaged building.

The house looked like an old-style, Victorian mansion. Big enough to be two, maybe three floors in height.

The facade was filled with vines and cracked walls. Even an entire window was completely destroyed and on its place, a huge hole was instead.

The rest of the windows were cracked or shattered. And the walls aside from cracks, had holes small and big with some large cuts going from one side to the other.

At the main entrance, the door appeared to be cleanly burnt off, leaving only a stain on the entire porch.

The roof had a huge hole on it, said hole covered a fourth part of the entire ceiling. Also, holes could be seen at the entrance floor, some deeper than others.

Seeing the destroyed location Fuuki whistled, it soon echoed all over the Town making both of them feel slightly creeped out.

"...Let's check the inside." - Issei told Fuuki as she continuously nodded her head, a bit frightened.

Reaching the burnt porch they just walked in.

The inside of the mansion was even worse than the outside.

The once expensive and high-class room was completely demolished. The wooden floor was splintered and had holes on it, the walls had holes even bigger ones than the ones they had seen.

Paintings were all over the floor, some turned into rags while others more... intact. The furniture was flipped over and all had long cuts, as if made by a sword.

"What an ugly place." - Without a single bit of remorse Fuuki mumbled, her words were a little too honest.

Ise, on the other hand, felt pity at the owners.

He walked to what he believed to be the Great Room and walked over to a painting that was almost untouched.

" _Belmont Family Portrait_." - The framework was still intact and at the bottom part of it, it was labeled as such.

Fuuki heard him and walked over.

"So the Belmont family were the owners?" - She asked while looking over his shoulder at the painting that Ise left on the floor.

"That should be correct." - Seeing this painting he figured that the mansion was of humans, but something about the last name sounded odd. He couldn't figure out why.

"Let us search the upstairs floors, maybe we can find a study room." - Thinking of the best place that could have their information he walked towards the stairs.

 _*Creak...!*_

As Fuuki stepped on a broken wooden step, it creaked. The sound scared her and she glued herself onto the back of Ise which was a few steps ahead of her.

"Calm down. The place is empty, nothing should happen." - Feeling her on his back he tried to calm her down, it seemed she wasn't good with these types of situations.

 _*Nod-Nod.*_ \- She nodded her head, a bit happy at his worry over her.

Continuing his path, he reached the second level of the mansion. A red hallway was in front of them, long cuts along the length of the walls.

The doors were either open from side to side, or simply broken. The paintings on the sides of the walls were scattered all over the floor, none of them intact.

"Whoever did this was extremely angry at the owners." - Since even the ornaments and furniture alongside the walls weren't spared, Issei said his guess.

"Yes. It seems someone was incredibly pissed off!" - Fuuki recovered her calm and left his back.

Walking on the hallway they saw all of the open rooms. The majority of them were normal bedrooms, some were resting rooms that had bookcases all over their walls. But the moment they entered one, they furrowed their brows.

"Blood." - Ise saw the dry stain on the wall, it had a tinge of red even after the many years.

"Sniff. Sniff." - Fuuki just smelled the room, her enhanced senses doing their magic.

"Many smells are still inside the room but the most prominent even if its just by a little, it's still blood."

"A slaughter happened inside the mansion. The reason, unknown." - Issei reached the disturbing conclusion.

"What happened here? The entire Town seems to be exterminated because of it." - Fuuki asked but Ise said nothing, he didn't know the reason behind this.

"Let's continue, we'll head up!" - This floor was only filled with bedrooms, each of them covered in blood so they wouldn't find anything in this place.

Nodding her head they left the room and headed upstairs. The stairs creaked even worse than before, luckily she was already prepared for that.

The same red hallway appeared on the second floor, but this one seemed too destroyed.

"Oookay... This place suffered the most in the mansion." - The fox noticed how everything seemed devastated.

The wooden floor covered by what they thought to be a purple carpet had fissures that reached the floor below them. The ceiling had many different cavities, some small as a coin others as big as a person. Even at some part of it a huge opening was present, the sky clearly seen at the other end of it.

The walls were basically gone as if breached by someone, the rooms could evidently be seen in their entirety.

"What exactly happened?" - For the first time, even Ise was amazed by the state of the second floor, it was basically on ruins!

"See that!" - She pointed at the door at the end of the corridor, it was broken as well but the hinges of the door were still firmly stuck against the wall.

"That should be the Study Room." - A small desk could be seen in between the gap of the door.

"Let us go!" - Like a kid, Fuuki told Ise who only sighed at her antics.

Evading the tears on the floor, they walked towards the room.

Moving the door slightly. - _*Craacck...! Baamm...!*_ \- It finally broke down...

Ignoring the result of their actions they walked around the room. It looked like a normal study room, of course, if you ignored the state of it.

Everything except the desk was completely destroyed, the bookcases behind it were either burnt into a pile of black mush or were in little pieces, some of the books were the same as the bookcases.

The desk was broken at its corners and a long gash ran along the length of it.

The window at their side was gone, leaving a huge hole on the wall. Its appeared to be the hole on the facade of the building they saw formerly

"Wow! You can see the whole town from here!" - Fuuki peaked through the hole and looked at the entire town. - "But everything is destroyed..." - Thanks to her vision she could see the state of the town.

Some houses were gone while others were in such a bad condition that it remained a mystery how they were still standing. The roads had craters of different sizes on them and some had drag marks that seemed to be covered in dust.

Issei, on the other hand, was focused on the desk. - (Why are you still intact?) - It seemed odd that the desk was the only thing still more-or-less standing.

Looking closer, he walked around it and took a closer look, even opening the drawers on it, but it was empty.

"Thats not right, it shouldn't be empty…..." - Feeling that the desk was hiding something, he inspected his shape.

Thanks to the many books he had read throughout his life he could more or less know what he was doing.

(Find oddly placed holes or marks that seem different.) - Running his fingers through the desk he soon went at the bottom of it.

Fuuki was looking at him, interest present in her eyes.

"What is that?" - He muttered as he saw an odly shaped mark at the corner of the bottom part of the top of the desk, it seemed like a small triangle that stood out.

He pushed the mark back into place and the desk made a sound.

 _*Crack!*_ \- On one of the open left drawers, the Drawer Box Bottom was lifted upwards.

Ise, hearing this, went towards the drawer, Fuuki did it as well.

"A False Background..." - She noticed that part of the drawer. Ise lifted the wooden plank inside and saw a book. It was old and filled with dust.

"Interesting!" - Light filled his eyes exactly like a child. He grabbed the book and stood near Fuuki. - "Written in Romanian..."

(I thank the Library back home for having spells that lets one read any language!) - As he was celebrating, a small black magic circle appeared on top of his hand, then he placed it against the book.

The words magically changed from Romanian to Japanese.

"Success!" - Seeing this change Ise was satisfied, the mystery should be solved with this!

"Ise! Go to the last part of it, this seems to be a diary of sorts." - Issei did as she told him and noticed how the book was indeed a diary.

" _Entry 63: Those annoying Vampires! They have come to the Town! I don't know how much longer we'll be able to hold!" -_ Issei read in a loud voice.

" _I just wanted my daughter back! Those filthy creatures took her from me and when we finally breached the castle, she was already gone!" -_ They started to understand what happened here.

" _As revenge, I burnt their entire treasury at the bottom of that disgusting castle! Not one book nor rich escaped the fire! HaHaHa!" -_ They kept silence.

"As I thought, petty revenge?" - Fuuki looked at him.

"No, there are still pages remaining." - He corrected her guess.

" _Yet a single book caught my interest, but it already was too late. The moment I grabbed it another of those creatures reached my location! As we fought, the book was separated into two. That was the only thing that survived the fires..." -_ Ise and Fuuki were surprised at those words.

"Everything... for a book?"

"Let's continue reading." - He answered back, getting a nod from her.

" _That book... It was unbelievable! It seemed to hold the secrets of the Vampires. Although I couldn't read it, my son managed to translate a part of it!" -_ Neither of them spoke.

" _It talked about a great citadel. The first of its kind. The place in which they all lived, the place in which they were all born!"_

This information made the both of them widen their eyes, it seemed to be that the town was destroyed because of some really well kept secret!

" _A fantastical location which held the strongest of their race. Pure warriors birthed for the sole purpose of being the best of their race! They were the Royal Family! All of us were surprised by those words. We needed to make it public as soon as possible, but it was too late..." -_ They kept the silence as Ise continued his reading.

" _The rest of the book was still with the unholy creatures that proudly named themselves as Tepes. Stupid creatures if you ask me." -_ The man seemed satisfied at his words. - " _If we could have the other half, then things would be different! Yet I know that the same vampire still has it in his possession!"_

The last page of the book was slowly flipped.

" _Entry 64: We managed to capture one of them! After a lot of torture he answered our questions. It seems the Imbecile Vampire rebuilt the bottom floor and hid the book inside it! The book was there at the same spot as we once stood! But this time we knew that it would prove impossible to go back." -_ The two of them were extremely concentrated on the book.

" _I know that they are coming after us. This writting is the proof of it. I don't know how much we will last for but I hope that they don't find the first part of the book. It's hidden, lost inside the Town. It doesn't matter how much they torture me. They will never find it!"_

Ise finished reading the diary and stored it inside his **'** **Hell Gate.'**

" _Signed, Simon Belmont." -_ Those were the final words.

"What should we do?"

"I doubt they found the first part of the book. If they did, the entire town wouldn't be in the state it is, at least not this badly." - He saw how the place was destroyed because of anger and fury.

"So?" - She asked to him about their decision.

"I want to go find the ancient citadel, I bet you're the same." - Fuuki agreed with him, this sounded like and extremely interesting adventure, she wanted to take part on it!

"But without the book it would prove useless. After all, it holds the information of the citadel and even if we find the second part. I doubt the information about it will be complete!" - Ise made his guess.

"I see... So without the book it's useless..." - She was also thinking the same. Even if they found it, without the complete information, it would send them to God knows where.

"A pity..." - She murmured in between her sigh, Ise heard this and nodded his head - "Indeed."

Then he walked over to the door and went out. The diary was stored in his personal space, it would be better if they had it.

Fuuki walked behind him feeling extreme disappointment in their search.

"All for nothing!" - She reached the outside of the room and kicked the wall near the door with a lot of strength.

* _Craaacck...!*_

A huge fissure appeared at the spot she kicked, it continued all the way up and soon circled the entire room.

At the moment they saw the fissure both of them went away from it.

They reached the stairs and soon after. - _*Craack...! Booomm...!*_ \- The entire study room literally fell from the floor.

A dust cloud was soon formed, covering the new hole in the mansion.

"Fuuki!" - Ise screamed at her. She, on the other hand, just stood there, blinking repeatedly.

"I swear I didn't do that on purpose!" - She turned around and screamed at him.

"Haaa…..." - He massaged the bridge of his nose. - "Let's... just see what happened." - Deciding to believe her, he went to check the former place of the study room.

"Indeed. It's completely destroyed." - Ise saw the debris in the front of the mansion. Wooden tiles here and there with bricks and rocks.

"You really did a little number on the room Fuuki." - Feeling slightly surprised at the ending of the room he made the off hand comment, she blushed in shame at his words.

"...…" - But, she did not have any words to contradict him.

"Wait..." - Among the debris Issei saw something. A brilliant, navy blue piece of something was sticking out from some pieces of bricks. - "What is that?"

He jumped from the third floor and reached the bottom, Fuuki tilted her head but followed after him.

The small pile of debris was not that big and at the top of it, an oddly colored thing was rooted in. Ise easily climbed the pile and grabbed the piece of something.

"What are you?" - He felt intrigued at the little piece of trash. Lifting it from the pile, he noticed it was a broken part of a book.

"I didn't see a book like this up there. Did you, Fuuki?" - He asked the fox at the bottom of the pile, she only shook her head.

Blowing the dust from the top he saw a really archaic language at the cover. - "Don't tell me..."

Trying out the spell he used back up there he placed the magic circle on the book, the words soon changed to something he could read.

(It seemed that the ones that made the book didn't protect it against even the most basic reading spell!) - He was sure that whoever wrote the book was either too confident in someone not finding it, or was a dumbass.

" _The Citadel of Shadows, Umbra!_ " - The title of the book read as such.

The both of them looked at each other and soon, a devious smirk appeared on both of their faces.

"Fuuki, you're my lucky charm." - He smiled at her, those words made her whole face red. Her heart was beating loudly and her thoughts were spinning.

She felt her entire world pause momentarily, a sincere praise from Issei was rare! She wanted to savor the moment as much as she could.

Looking at the book, Ise noticed how it was perfectly broken in half. Just like with the diary that he left inside his pocket dimension said, he opened it and went to the last page of it.

" _Inside the forest of the forgotten land. In which the new ones, crowned as the top of the actual race loom. The forgotten, lost citadel where the castle still stands proudly..."_ \- Those were the last words from the book, the last paragraph of the last page.

"Fuuki. We need to go the castle that has the second part of the book." - He talked to the still daydreaming fox, she came back from her delusion and replied.

"Yes!~ It sounds really fun and interesting!"

Since they came here mainly in search of adventure, they wouldn't let this one fall from in between their fingers!

"Excellent." - Issei responded and soon he started to remember the words from the diary.

(Tepes Castle, bottom of it... I don't know if it's the same place where we rescued Valerie but it's worth the shot!) - Hopefully he was right.

"Fuuki, I've been there before. So we can go right now!" - Hearing those words Fuuki smiled, prepared for anything.

" **Hell Gate!** " - Without wasting a moment he used his Aura and created a gate, they both went in it as fast as they could.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Tepes Castle, Bottommost part of it / Dungeon.—-**

* * *

 **.**

A poorly lit room was seen, only a couple of torches hung from the wall and not a single creature was inside.

The room was ridiculously big and had many things spread throughout, armors, tables, books, even some shackles and torture devices were gathering dust.

Bookcases were against the walls and not a single window could be seen. More than a dungeon, it looked like a cellar with all kinds of junk spread all over the place.

After the war, this place was used as a store room. Everything that no longer had any importance was thrown inside, never seeing the light of day again.

They Vampires had the big space and instead of having it empty they decided to use it. That, and the constant reminder of their superiors to change the way it looked since it was once used by terrorists to fulfill their plans.

A small, pitch-black vortex with purple lightning appeared at an empty location, both Ise and Fuuki came out of it.

"Alright, no time to waste. Time to find the second part of the book!" - They quickly started to search around.

Both of them spent what they felt like hours inside the room.

Since the work was tedious the sense of time was extremely slow, yet after making an entire mess of the place—if that was possible, nothing was found. Nothing even blue in color was seen.

"Do you think someone else casually found it?" - Fuuki asked Ise with slight fear, it could be possible for someone to find it. After all, the diary was here for more than a century, or so they believed.

Issei was silent, he did think of that possibility. Many years went by and who knows how many vampires went inside the room, even the same Rizevim was inside the place so it could be taken by him.

"Issei?" - Seeing him not answer, Fuuki asked again.

"That's certainly possible but I think we're missing something." - Fuuki was surprised at his words so she started to yell.

"Missing? The whole place is filled with useless junk! We have spent hours looking through it! Unless there's something hidden inside those pieces of trash! I doubt we'll find something!" - She had a point, everything up till know turned out to be useless.

Issei was still thinking - (Hidden... Inside?)

Ise was lost in thought, thanks to her words she made him think of a certain possibility. - (What if there's something hidden inside the cellar! We looked through it but what about something hidden in plain sight!) - Widening his eyes he looked at Fuuki.

(Ever since more than 200 years ago hidden rooms have been popular. It could be possible for someone to think about making one!)

"What if... There's not only this room? What if there's more?" - Those words made the fox tilt her head in doubt, after a couple of seconds she understood what he was talking, she was surprised!

"But how? There's not a single door. It's impossible for a room to be here." - Fuuki searched the whole floor more than once, she was even confident enough to find certain items inside this place.

"Remember what the diary told us. _It seems he rebuilt the bottom part of it._ In other words, the same Vampire could have changed the layout of the floor! Leaving a single room apart and not letting anyone else find out about it!" - Those words made Fuuki freeze, her eyes had an indescribable light flashing through them.

"That... certainly could be possible!"

"But how could we find it? Since this place has been used a lot of times then the hidden room should be magic proof and be extremely well hidden!"

Ise nodded at her words. - (Indeed, if Rizevim was here then he would have checked the entire place in search of anything. So if the room is still hidden, how could we find it?) - As Issei was thinking an idea popped into his head.

"The other piece of the book, that's our only clue." - He took the book out of his personal space and grabbed it with his left hand.

"This book is the only thing we have.…" - He told the beauty as he started to flip the pages around even looking straight at the cover, but nothing could be seen.

(Is this all?) - He looked at the cover.

Fuuki approached Ise and looked through the book as well. She then opened it on the first page and looked at something. - "Hmmm?"

The sound made Ise look at her. - "Something wrong?" - He asked back.

"No. Not at all. Its just this simbol, I saw it back on the wall behind us."

Ise was shocked at her words, he grabbed her by the shoulders getting a blush from her and then said. - "Take me there!"

She nodded her head with a blush still on her face. - "O-Okay!"

They went through a lot of junk, armors, normal swords, books, chairs and tables, but after some time they reached the brick wall. Something was engraved on it.

"That's it." - While pointing at it Fuuki told Ise, the engraving was barely visible against the wall.

It was a single rose with thorns surrounding it, some words were at the circumference of it, they read as, ' _Civitate Caligo. Civitate Incipiens.'_ Those words were engraved at the sides of the rose. ' _Urbem Omnium Malorum.'_ And those were the words below it.

"The city of fog. The starting city. The city of all Evil." - Ise translated the words on the inscription.

"You know Latin?" - Fuuki was amazed at his translation.

"Just some words, I didn't learn much of it."

Thanks to the many texts he read he learned some words. Some books back in his home were written in the original language and even if he had the Japanese translation, he decided to at least read some parts of them, and during the process memorizing some words.

"It seems the engraving is incomplete." - He turned to look at the book in which the inscription was at, it was located at the beginning of the book.

"The words at the center are missing." - Fuuki noticed as well, the most important words were always at the center.

"How do we write it? Magic?" - Fuuki asked Ise who shook his head.

"No. Something that simple should be wrong."

Issei was thinking to himself remembering everything he could about the vampires. - "...Blood." - He widened his eyes.

Without losing a second he bit his finger and at the center of the rose he wrote.

" _Umbra_." - The word signifying Shadow.

The moment the word was completely written, a huge red light flooded the room. Luckily for them, it only lasted for a second.

Then the wall started to move and at the center, where the rose was located at, the wall separated into two.

 _*Shlick!*_

The sound of metal sliding was heard and the wall opened just enough for a person to fit in.

Inside the wall, a small staircase could be seen reaching the bottommost part of the castle.

"Finally!" - Issei was satisfied and walked down the stairs, Fuuki was close to him.

When both entered it, the wall started to close not letting anyone see its insides.

They walked for a few minutes and then, they finally reached the bottom of the castle.

A small room was what awaited them, being all black in color without the slightest hint of light inside.

"Fuuki, illuminate the room." - She nodded at his words, and using a basic Onmyōdo Spell she created a floating ball of light.

Now being capable of seeing more, they approached the center of the room.

A tall lectern was the only thing inside the room, the book it had displayed was a navy blue book with its first half missing.

"Bingo." - Issei took his own piece of the book and grabbed the other.

Like magic, when he placed both parts near they started to join back together, he let them do join and the book was as good as new.

Looking back at his fox he said. - "Its only the beginning of the adventure."

He then opened the book and started to read where he last was at.

" _Inside the forest of the forgotten land. In which the new ones crowned as the top of the actual race loom. The forgotten, lost citadel where the castle still stands proudly. The cave which was sealed by them lays at the sole part of it that has no nature nearby. The remnant of the once glorious race is inside there and only with the complete text and the sufficient strength can one see the glory of the vampires of old."_

"Fuuki. According to the book we need to go outside, right towards the forest of the Vampires and search for a place that has no vegetation. There, we should find something. The book seems to be important so it may show us where it's located at." - Issei analyzed the words of the book, although old and with a lot of useless information the clue was there.

"Yes!~" - The flirty woman was excited at the discovery.

"I don't know where the forest is at but luckily the Yasakani-No-Magatama is with us. That bracelet can trasport us to any place we wish, no coordinates needed. Too bad it can only take us to a place that has no barrier or any kind of protection, if it didn't have that then we would have already reached the citadel."

The treasure was extremely strong but held a contradiction; it was capable of transporting them out of sealed spaces but impossible of transporting them in. The perfect escape method once one thought about it.

"Sure, let us go!~" - Fuuki was excited, maybe a little bit too much.

Reciting the chant she saw the bracelet increase in size.

Issei and Fuuki went inside it and disappeared, like they never where inside the castle.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Forest of the Vampires.—-**

* * *

 **.**

The place they were at held no vegetation only rocks and dirt. A couple of trees could be seen in the distance, but aside from that, it was only a simple patch of dirt.

"What an odd place." - Issei told Fuuki who only narrowed her eyes, she then let both of her ears and tails out and started to check the land.

"It seems the land turned out like this because of an extremely strong evil power." - Being an expert at Senjustu she figured out the reason behind the empty land.

"Okay, seems we're going in the right direction."

Then the book in Issei's hands lit up in a blue light, he opened it and in a former blank page a small scripture was seen.

"I see..." - He smirked. - " _Hic stat, introitus in urbem, hic quiescit in aeternum certamen, quod nos quondam habuit, et hic est entrace ad Castrum de Tenebris!"_

He read the inscription with a little effort but soon, the light on the book became even brighter. It covered a part of the empty land and soon after, that same part of the ground rose up.

"What did you say, Ise?" - Fuuki was curious.

"I don't know. I only now vague words of Latin but I did understand that this; ' _Is the entrance to the castle of Shadows'_. We found it Fuuki!" - Issei was happy and so was the Fox, they were both excited.

Seeing the newly formed cave they entered it, and like the wall back at the castle the entrance closed behind them.

After walking for 30 minutes they reached an incredibly large, double wooden door.

Its height was at least as big as an eight-floor building, similar in height to Ise's mansion back at Kuoh. However, the door was blocked.

Many pieces of wood were stuck against it, the most obvious of all was the one at the center. Tall and thick almost all black in color with golden engravings on its surface. It perfectly blocked the door horizontally.

Both ends of it were nailed against the wall by normal-looking, black nails that had dry blood on them. Yet the Holy Power emanating from them was ridiculous!

Skeletons could be seen adorning the cave floor. They were dozens of them! And some were broken into little pieces so the exact number was unknown.

But both of them ignored the skeletons, staring at the long plank of wood.

It was something that irradiated a ridiculous amount of Holy Power! The engravings on its surface were of Angelic symbols and were shining brightly even inside the cave.

Issei was amazed at the sheer defense this place had. But his eyes only rested on the Nails, he recognized them and so did Fuuki, they were extremely famous.

"Two of the Four ' _Holy Nails!'_ " - He didn't expect to find those pieces of History in a forgotten land that was lost in the river of time like this one.

"Their Holy Power turned the entire wooden plank into a seal! A seal that could even trap a Demon King for eternity!" - Fuuki told Ise with awe in her voice.

"Whatever was inside, they used two of the four Holy Nails to _keep_ it inside." - Issei didn't have words to express how shocked he felt.

"What do you think Issei?" - The fox asked him.

"By the looks of it, seems like this place was sealed a long time ago. So whatever was inside should already be dead." - He looked at her eyes. - "Plus we came all the way here, so lets open this up!"

Issei didn't care about what could happen. He believed that the place, after all those years, wouldn't even have any vestige of life.

"Sure!" - Fuuki was fine if Ise was fine. Besides, she also wanted to see what was inside.

Walking closer to the biggest wooden plank, they went to the oposite sides. Ise covered himself with his Darkness while Fuuki covered herself in a deep layer of Tōuki reinforced with Senjustu.

Both of them grabbed a Holy Nail at the side and said. - ""One, Two, Three!""

The nails resisted, but after a little while both of them started to separate themselves from the wooden plank.

Some time after, the nails were successfully pulled.

* _Craaassh...!_ *

The plank fell to the ground. Both of them held a nail in their hands.

"I'll keep them." - Issei extended his hand and placed his Nail inside his personal space, Fuuki threw hers inside his space as well.

"Come on! Let's open this door!" - Fuuki rubbed both of her hand against each other, showing a devious smirk.

Nodding his head Issei went close to the door. He covered both of his arms in Darkness and soon after started to push the double door. After more effort was put into it, both doors were slammed open.

 _*BAANG...!*_

"Finally here!" - Issei returned his Darkness to what it was before and practically screamed.

"Yes! We made it!" - Fuuki was almost jumping in place, excitement filled her eyes.

Right in front of them laid the Citadel of the Vampires!

* * *

.

All the buildings in sight were pitch black. Some were simple houses while others tall buildings, but they were hundreds of them.

Light, one way or another, filled the entire city giving it a spectral look. A fog was also present, covering the entire floor but it didn't reach past the ankles.

Pillars similar to light poles were seen at the sides of the streets. They gave off an eerie, pale, blue light that was used to illuminate the entire street. And there was no sky, only rocks that had the form of stalactites. They were brown in color but also held a tinge of black.

The entire place seemed deserted, not a single living being could be seen.

Walking closer, they inspected the place.

"Woooow... Amazing!"

Meanwhile, Ise was looking around, he quickly noticed how the buildings were in ruins. Some completely destroyed while others partially. Some streets had bones scattered on the floor and others appeared to be completely clean.

"Something happened here..." - Seeing all the possible corpses on the floor he told Fuuki.

When she heard this she stopped midway whatever she was doing, and started to look around the city. - "What happened here?"

"I don't know. But whatever happened here, it was sufficient for them to seal the entire city."

As they looked around, they noticed how windows were broken, buildings were turned into debris and just generally, the place looked as if it went through a war.

"Maybe we can go there." - While pointing at the tallest building that was above everything here, Fuuki said to Ise as she looked at his face.

Where she pointed at was a castle, standing at what they thought would be the center of the city. Some houses blocked the majority of their view but they could still see the amazing piece of architecture.

It was extremely tall, almost reaching the roof of this place. Probably only a few castles all over the world could be compared in height as well as in design to the one in front of them. It looked old and gave the impression of being cursed.

The towers it had ended in a spike and the entire castle was black in color. A few red contrasts were seen in the frames of the windows and on the roof-slabs. However, every part of it was badly destroyed, some cracks adorned its surface and fissures were seen on the roof as well.

After a long walk, both the Fox and the Dragon reached the main square where the castle was located at.

A big, semi-destroyed fountain was at the center of the square. It was also accompanied by chinks on the stone floor and bones spread throughout the ground.

Weird red marks tainted the surface of both the fountain and the floor, they didn't have to guess for long before they discovered it was dry blood.

So, in conclusion, the entire main square was in ruins! The houses nearby and even the mansions that were also near, all of them, destroyed!

"We should go inside the castle." - Issei said to Fuuki, whose only response was a nod of her head and a smile on her face.

They went around the fountain and soon they stood in front of the double doors of the castle.

"Cold..." - Touching them, Fuuki quickly retrieved her hand.

"Reinforced steel doors enhanced with old magic." - Issei reached a conclusion as he saw the two doors shinning ominously. He tried to open them up but it appeared that they were jammed.

"Fuuki, get behind me."

Covering his left arm in his Darkness he formed a bigger hand similar to a claw. Then, he punched the door.

 _*Clang...!*_

A sound echoed all around the square, yet the metal door barely flinched.

"Hmph! Tougher than it looks." - Issei used even more of his strength and punched again.

 _*CLAAANNGG...!*_

A louder sound boomed, this time all over the city. The door only appeared to be dented and slightly pushed in.

"Okay. Now this is personal." - Issei covered his other hand in the same amount of Darkness and hit, this time continuously.

 _*CLAAAANGGG...! CLAAAANNNGGG...!*_

The door was slowly giving in, dent after dent.

(I need something that can increase my physical strength even more.) - Issei was thinking as he hit the door, but before he could continue his thoughts, the door was finally destroyed.

Under the force of his last hit both doors were sent flying inwards.

Not caring where the doors flew at they went inside the castle. The dust that was accumulated from hitting the door slowly dissipated, once it was gone they could see the main floor of the castle.

An absurdly enormous room was where they now stood.

A blood red carpet extended all the way from the entrance to the back of the hall. Polished, black marble blocks was what the floor was made out of, and flags were hanging at both sides of the hall. All of them were the same blood-red as the carpet, and they had the same engravings they found at the Tepes Castle; a rose covered in thorns. However, the words in Latin were gone.

Pitch-black armors with silver lining were at the end of the hall, all of them arranged in a military fashion.

Chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling by thick, black chains. Some window panes could be seen at the top of the walls, all of them purple in color. And at the bottommost part of the hall laid a staircase that went up and to the sides, going further inside the castle.

Dust and dry blood was seen everywhere, but one thing took their attention.

There was a glacier, exactly at the center of the room. And the huge pile of ice was covering their view of the rest of the Hall.

"What is that doing here?" - Fuuki tilted her head, curious about the iceberg.

Issei was looking around, not letting his guard down for a second. However, he also took interest in the iceberg and made his way towards it.

After walking down for a couple of steps they looked more carefully at the glacier... and... something could be seen inside it.

Stopping their walk, they looked at each other. They nodded their heads to one another and went even closer.

As they reached the iceberg a figure inside could, more-or-less be distinguished.

Only its head and part of its fingers were out of the ice. Long pale hair covered its face, it looked dull and dead similar to that of a corpse. Its skin clung to its bones, giving it the appearance of a mummy.

"Who... were you?" - Fuuki mumbled at what she believed to be the corpse of someone.

Issei ran a hand across the surface of the glacier. - "Whoever it was, they completely sealed it inside."

Ise quickly noticed how the ice was magically-stronger than anything that he had ever felt before, nothing could be fred from it.

"And whoever it was. A lot of people were needed to seal it." - He added, noticing the frozen bones in its surroundings. Counting the skulls more than six were present, and those were the ones intact.

"Just who forced them to use such ominous magic?" - Fuuki sensed how the ice literally absorbed the life of what was inside it, yet only enough to not kill it.

"Ominous?"

"Yes. This ice seals whatever it has inside and absorbs its life force to the point it's left in a state of apparent death." - The fox explained.

"So you think, that." - He pointed at the ' _corpse_ '. - "Is still alive?"

"I don't know." - Was her answer. - "Many years have elapsed since the spell was first launched, so maybe it's really dead?" - Many things could have happened.

...

...

...

"Want to figure it out?~" - The Fox asked Ise morbidly a smile on her beautiful face.

Since the possibility of it being dead was bigger, he had nothing to lose. - "Sure. Why not? Let's break the ice."

Nodding at his words, Fuuki summoned many different Senjutsu hexagons. Wanting to use a rather... special Onmyōdō Spell.

She pulled something out of her pocket, a familiar piece of paper. The Talisman was black while the designs were red and many engravings circled its surface.

Issei, at the moment he saw it, took a big step back. He had already received a full power attack of one of those spells, so he wanted to stay _away_ from that!

" _The light of the heavens is residing in that body, answer my accusation and reduce to ashes the sin on the earth!" -_ Fuuki chanted in a melodious voice, her words echoing around the walls.

The Onmyōdō paper was burnt and instead, a dome of highly concentrated oxygen was on its place. The oxygen then ignited itself and like a beam of light, it struck the glacier.

" _Solar Flare!" -_ With those words the location of the iceberg was bathed in a ray of pure heat.

The ice fought against the solar flare, but since it no longer was as strong as before, it started to disappear. Fuuki calculated the strength behind it perfectly so that she doesn't destroy the figure inside with her spell.

Seconds turned into minutes and sweat started to form on her forehead, a spell as strong as this took its toll on her reserves.

The light died down and the figure inside the ice was sprawled all over the wet carpet. Some of its clothing were burnt alongside the carpet but it was definitely better than before.

After waiting for some minutes more, the corpse still did not move.

"Is it... dead?" - Fuuki asked Issei as she lifted a brow, but he only walked closer to the body. He noticed how its... fangs? Were larger than the rest of its teeth.

(If that's the case...) - He stretched his left arm and while manipulating his Darkness he cut his wrist.

He came closer to the corpse and knelt, drop and drop of blood went to its mouth, but the majority of it instead splashed all over the floor.

After some seconds Issei healed his little wound and stood up from his position. He walked near Fuuki and just stood at her side, waiting for something.

Minutes flew by yet the corpse was like before, unmoving.

"Maybe it's really dead." - Ise reached the conclusion as he saw the body.

"Yes, it's possible. Rather, it would be weird for it to be alive." - Fuuki shrugged her shoulders, agreeing with his words.

"Time to go." - While turning around Fuuki was the first to walk away.

Issei, on the other hand, was still looking at the corpse. - "Haaa...…" - He sighed in defeat and turned around.

* * *

.

 _*BOOOOOMMMMMMM...!*_

Yet at the same moment an incredibly malicious aura filled the entire hall. Both of them turned back and looked at the corpse.

A bloody aura was rising from the dead body, similarly to smoke it went up and covered the whole ceiling of the Hall. The odor it gave off was that of rusted metal but before thinking anything else, the aura increased in ferocity and enveloped the dead body.

They witnessed how an amorphous shadow came _out_ of the corpse and covered the whole ground of the Hall.

Fuuki saw this and jumped into the air, standing in a magic circle she created.

Issei stayed on the floor, his eyes narrowed. His Darkness covering his legs and not for a second did his sight left the corpse.

The bloody aura increased in size and density. Shockwaves were shot at random directions, similar to gusts of wind as they made a mess of the Hall.

The chandeliers in the ceiling started to rattle. The window panes on the walls started to crack.

After a couple of seconds, the corpse started to change from its former mummy-like appearance.

The skin no longer clung to the bones, it started to have a white tone similar to marble. The hair also changed, still pale white but now looking incredibly soft and smooth.

The shadow that covered the floor started to retract and it slowly covered the figure.

Soon, the shadows on both arms and legs vividly _morphed_ into a pair of black, gothic gauntlets and greaves. They looked stylish and durable, both reaching the elbow joint and the knee joint respectively, right where a spike seemed to come out off it.

Within the gory sight of the corpse, another piece of clothing started to form. This being a deep black bodysuit. However, instead of a full bodysuit this one reached above the mid thighs and had no sleeves on its design.

After some time —minutes even— the blood red aura disappeared and instead, the only thing left was the body.

"Gasp!" - The body inhaled sharply, placing a gauntlet on the carpet and lifting itself up. - "Cough! Cough-Cough!" - It trembled as it finally managed to properly stand, coughing and breathing heavily.

It placed a hand on its heart, rooted in place and trying to regain its breath. It continued like that for some minutes until the body finally stopped its heavy breathing.

"What... happened to me?" - A sweet voice reached their ears.

The voice sounded thorny, similar to something you would be cautious at touching. But hearing the voice made them realize that it was that of a female.

"The War! How it ended?!" - The body kept talking to herself not noticing the curious looks on both the Dragon and the Fox's faces.

Issei and Fuuki decided to keep looking at her, not interrupting her monologue.

"Those... TRAITORS!" - Her voice filled with venom as it echoed over the Hall causing the walls to creak.

At the same moment, Issei started thinking about something. - (That pulse of aura was really strong. Maybe if I play my cards right I can...)

He then looked with both arms crossed at the female and said. - "It seems you're alive." - His voice cold and sharp with barely hidden mockery.

Hearing the voice the female turned her head and looked at the origin of it.

"Who are... No." - She narrowed her eyes. - " _What_ are you?" - Scanning the figure in front of her she quickly asked.

"I'm a Dragon." - He dismissed the question, shrugging his shoulders.

The female, on the other hand, widened her eyes in surprise. - (A Dragon? What's a Dragon doing here?!)

Dragons were incredibly rare and one that took human form like the one in front of her? Even more!

"What are you doing here?" - She ran a hand through her hair letting her face be seen.

Issei widened his eyes slightly, but quickly went back to normal. - (Ho? Another beautiful woman it seems.) - He thought as he looked at her.

She had marble-like skin, it was smooth and shiny, carrying a healthy white.

Her lips were like carmine an extremely vivid red, similar to her eyes that were the same tone. Yet these eyes held a trace of bloodlust and sharpness.

Her face was cold but gracious, especially with those eyes of hers that gifted her the air of a strong-willed woman.

Her body was extremely well built, it looked flexible and light. However, her chest was filled to the point that _they_ could possibly be the biggest pair he has ever seen.

Her waist was narrow and tight, creating a beautiful contrast with the rest of her body, gifting a sex-appeal he had _never_ seen in a woman. It was as if she was a perfect statue representing beauty and charm.

Her armour was a dull black and it didn't reflect any light. Her gauntlets were thin and form-fitting, reaching and covering part of her elbows. Her greaves were also the same, yet these had a high heal that looked like it could puncture through metal.

Her chest armour covered the necessary, that being her abdomen, the sides of her chest and her shoulders. These pieces of armour looked light and thin and were stuck close to her body.

On her neck, some pieces of her armour covered it exactly like a high collar. Some parts of her chest were free so as to not impede her movements and flexibility. She definitely was one of the most beautiful women he has ever seen, rivaling Fuuki without a problem.

"Answer! What are you doing here!?" - The woman was getting impatient, emphasizing her point with her killing intent.

"I came here to look around woman!" - Issei sharpened his voice, slightly annoyed at her tone.

The woman was secretly impressed, not many were capable of resisting a threat from her and even less were capable of responding. A man like him that dismissed her threat so easily and replied back with a sharp voice no less than hers managed to catch her attention.

"A Dragon? Here? Not searching for anything? Ha!" - Her tone filled with spines and her aura was the same, she didn't believe him.

"Woman. It's the truth. Many years have elapsed since you were sealed in the ice and many things happened." - He answered back while waving a hand, not caring in the slightest.

"Years?" - This caught her off guard. - "Then, what year it is?"

Issei smirked and looked at her eyes. - "Welcome, to the 21st Century."

Hearing those words she widened her eyes, shock was short of what she felt. - "You're lying! It's impossible!"

She increased her aura even more. A mantle, red in color covered her body, the shadow that appeared before was once again present, this time releasing a threatening hiss.

"Woman, what reason do I have to lie to you? There's no hatred nor a grudge between us so there's no need for lies. That's the truth, take it or leave it." - He looked into her eyes ignoring her killing intent and the pressure he felt.

The woman looked into those black and red eyes of his and scanned them. She quickly discovered that he was saying the truth, not a lie present in his body language.

Issei was also secretly impressed, it was the first time someone looked into his eyes and didn't felt scared, surprised or something alongside those lines. His previous thoughts about her were sounding better and better.

"What year is exactly?" - She asked cautiously.

"It's the year 2019, not too bad of a year." - He said, mainly to himself.

His answer shocked the woman, never would she have thought that so long actually passed! - "More than 200 years have passed?!" - She voiced out loud, the comment surprised both Issei and Fuuki.

(So she's been sealed here for more than 200 years? Why? What's the reason?) - Fuuki thought.

"I give you my word woman. That's the truth." - He spoke again, this time even giving her his word.

Noticing this she was forced to accept the truth. Dragons had enormous pride bigger than their life, telling a lie wasn't an option, not even in the worst possible situation.

"Haaaa…..." - She released an tired sigh and looked back at the Dragon. - "What happened in these 200 years?" - The Dragon smirked as a response.

"I propose you something." - He said. - "I'll answer your questions and you will answer mine. A question for a question. Simple, right?"

The woman raised an eyebrow but still nodded her head, finding his terms acceptable.

"Great. Then, how about we introduce ourselves?" - Issei proposed while walking towards the side, cautiously eyeing the shadow underneath him.

"My name is Hyoudou Issei. Full blooded Dragon, former human and current Sekiryuutei." - He formally introduced himself and bowed.

The woman widened her eyes. - (The Sekiryuutei?! But I can not feel any trace of a human in him! How could it be possible?)

Seeing her confusion he sighed. - "Haaa... It's the truth woman. After a little... incident, the Boosted Gear rebooted itself so that's why you can't feel it. About me not being a human, well..." - He smirked deviously. - "Let us say that I got into an _accident_ and got turned into a full Dragon." - He explained to her, beginning to calm her down.

She looked at him, trying to find any hint of him lying, but she couldn't find a thing. - "I'll believe you." - She told him.

"Good, then..." - He signaled her to introduce herself.

"Ericia... Ericia Draculea." - At the mention of her name now was his turn in being surprised.

Seeing him like that the woman smirked a little. - "Indeed! I'm a decendant of the true King of Vampires. Not those _Tepes_ fakes!" - She spat the name. - "I'm also a Royal Vampire since I'm a direct descendant of Dracula himself. In other words, the strongest Vampire!" - She held immense pride in her words, she even stuck out her chest!

(A descendant of Dracula?! The strongest type of Vampire!? Just what have we gotten ourselves into?) - Fuuki looked at her, amazement clearly written in her eyes. What an incredibly rare find!

On the other hand, Issei was thinking. - (Those Tepes fakes? What's the story behind this?) - He was interested in her words.

"Then, Ericia Draculea. What is your question?" - He promptly asked.

"Ericia is fine, hate formalities. Always a pain to deal with and useless in my eyes." - She commented while waving her hand. Issei just shrugged his shoulders, not caring about it as well.

She placed a hand of her hip and eyed him threateningly - "Then, Issei. Do you know what happened to my race in these two hundred years?" - She asked, light in her sharp eyes.

"Not much." - He inhaled as he closed his eyes. - "I know that they became isolated from the world and faced many troubles between each other and the outside."

He placed his hands in his coat-pockets and continued. - "After many conflicts and years later your race separated into two Factions; The Tepes Faction and the Carmilla Faction. They waged war against each other even more fiercely than before for years and years, dragging humans down with them. But thanks to recent events, they became a whole Faction once again."

He summarized the Vampire History he knew but he noticed how, at the mention of those names, she became angry.

"THOSE! FILTHY! TRAITORS!" - Her voice was full of fury, venom dripped from her mouth.

 _*BOOOOOOOMMMM...!*_

A pillar of aura came from her! Breaking a part of the ceiling and making some debris fall near them!

Issei stayed silent, letting her calm herself down. He knew that whatever happened must have been terrible if she was that pissed.

Her breath heavy, she finally calmed down. Both hands turned into fists.

Seeing the pillar fade into nothing, Issei asked. - "Now, I want to know. What happened two hundred years ago?"

His words made her stop her thinking and earned a glare from her sharp eyes. But after a brief stare down, she calmed herself and sighed.

"...It's long."

"We have time." - He was obviously curious.

She looked at him, scoffed at his cheeky response and decided to answer. - "Hmph! More than two hundred years ago, a Civil War erupted!" - Her words made Issei narrow his eyes.

"The different families; The Tepes, The Carmilla, The Bloodfallen, The Silverstein and The Carlyle fought against us, The Royal Family." - Her tone emotionless and serious. - "Some quickly noticed their mistake and pledged loyalty to us again, those being the Bloodfallen." - She scoffed at those words.

"Yet the remaining four of those filthy traitors fought against us! After everything we did for them!" - She was grinding her teeth but inhaled quickly after, calming herself down. - "But since the citadel was too small, some of them escaped from it and founded a city on top of us, that being their base. Tch! Pathetic, cowardly traitors."

"Years passed." - She waved her hand. - "But even if the Royal Family was stronger than all, their sheer numbers were abysmal, we were losing." - She confessed while sighing.

"Our King noticed this and started to fight himself at the frontlines. But, in the end, he got plotted by his so-called allies and alongside his guards, he was ambushed and killed by the Family Heads of that time..."

"My father took the throne as the King not long after, but it didn't... work well." - Ericia placed her hands on her hips and began walking around the Hall. - "The Bloodfallen started to flee since they knew we will lose. Only the Royal family was left, only my siblings and I." - She stopped her walk and glared at empty space. - "We were trained since small to be the best of the best! Yet, after a fateful day, everything went down the drain!"

"All the remaining families prepared themselves for a final attack. All or nothing!" - Her words made Issei widen his eyes. - "They sieged the citadel and tried to exterminate the Royal family!"

"We fought for days and days but slowly, my family was going down. My siblings died, from the youngest to the eldest... Yet, they managed to bring down The Silverstein and The Carlyle families with them, all of those traitors died at their hands!" - She clenched her fist as her eyes were glued to the floor. - "And of all of my siblings, only I remained..."

"My mother and Father fought the remaining families, but because of the loss of their sons and daughters they couldn't focus on the battle, and like my siblings, they perished as well." - She looked straight into the eyes of the man named Hyoudou Issei. Nothing could be found in them, neither pity, nor anger, nor nothing! Just pure, cold stoicism.

Their brief stare down lasted seconds and only after that did she continue her story. - "After that, the war was lost." - She shrugged. - "The Families took too much damage and didn't want to lose more. Whatever remained from the Royal family fought them off, yet they only lasted that long. At the final moments they came after the last Royal Vampire, me."

"They wanted everyone from the Royal family gone, but because their leaders were horribly wounded from the battle against my parents, they didn't dare come for me. Instead, they sent their best remaining warriors to kill me! But they weren't capable of it!" - She ridiculed them. - "And as their last resort, those warriors sacrificed their lives to use a forbidden spell that trapped me in ice for all eternity."

"Their leaders should have thought that they sacrificed their lives to end me so they left me here for what you say to be two hundred years, sealed in that ice." - She looked into Ise's eyes once again, finishing her story.

"I see..." - Issei exhaled as she finished narrating, placing a finger on his chin, thinking.

He then open his eyes and said. - "Thanks for the explanation. Your turn to ask."

She calmed her thoughts and started to think about her next question. Mussing to herself, what should she ask?

"What has happened to the world? And don't lie to me. A Dragon alongside a Fox Yōkai working together? Something big must have happened." - She asked Ise as she lifted the corner of her mouth.

(Quite sharp.) - He will give her that. - "This is also a long story."

A smirk spread throughout her face. - "We have time." - She replied with the same words he said to her, making Issei's brow twitch as a response.

"Fine by me!" - His voice sounded a bit annoyed. - "This last year, a Supernatural World War started!"

Hearing those words she felt petrified, her mocking smirk vanished from her face.

Issei didn't care about her response and continued. - "Ever since the last year an organization called ' _Khaos Brigade_ ' was formed, gathering all species in the globe. Humans, Devils, Yōkais, Fallen-Angels, Dragons, everything! Under the banner of the ' _Ouroboros Dragon,_ _Ophis_ ' they declared War upon the world!" - He wanted to sound dramatic and by the looks on the Vampire's eyes, he succeeded!

"They committed many terrorist acts." - He clicked his tongue at the memories. - "Attacking whole Factions, destroying territories, kidnapping and killing hundreds, and many more! But thanks to their threat, an Alliance between the ' _Three Biblical Factions_ ' was created. However, during their peace conference, they were attacked and made themselves known to the world."

"The rest of the Factions acknowledged their threat and soon decided to join forces with the Three Biblical Factions." - His tone was serious as he looked at her. - "Shortly after, they formed an alliance with them."

"Meanwhile, the Khaos Brigade was wreaking havoc all over the supernatural world. They held immense military power. Having the Old Maou Faction which held all direct descendants of the original Maou, except the descendant of Lucifer which was a separate case. The Hero Faction that held the descendants of ' _Human Heroes_ ' and Sacred Gears users, they even had three of the four strongest Longinus!"

The woman tried to calm her expression as she processed all the information with a frown on her face.

"After some time, the Khaos Brigade was destroyed, and the Dragon representing infinity came to our side." - He explained. - (Well she came to me more specifically.) - Remembering Ophis' words, he sweated a little.

"After that, the true master behind the Khaos Brigade was revealed. Rizevim Livan Lucifer, the one that pulled the strings behind everything!" - At the mention of the man Ericia widened her eyes, she clearly knew about him.

"Managing a group named ' _Qlippoth_ ' he explained his goal to us." - Issei's eyes grew cold at the mention of that plan.

"He said he wanted to control the world, creating his little Utopia. He planned to release the Imperial Beast of the Apocalypse, Trihexa and destroy the world. By his side he had the strongest Evil Dragons, a massive army, and various Longinus." - He felt a chill down his back when he remembered those days.

"One of the Longinus was the ' _Sephiroth_ _Graal_ ', which was in possession of your race." - That piece of information made her widen her eyes and almost tremble.

(A Holy Relic of such level with my species!? How could that be even possible!? It doesn't make any sense!) - She was thinking, meanwhile, Issei continued his explanation.

"Long story short, he released the Beast, causing the Apocalypse. And the Faction Chiefs decided to fight against it. After much effort, the Beast was sealed, not allowed to see the light of day again." - He finished his explanation and soon took a breath of cold air.

...

...

...

...

She had no words, never would she have thought that so much changed during the years!

"...So all of that happened." - He nodded his head, acknowledging her statement. Still, he gave her some time to digest the information.

"My turn." - He told the woman after a solid minute, getting her out of her thoughts. It seemed that after all those shocking tales, almost surreal, she regained her cool.

"What was the reason the Civil War started?" - He asked, that same question was annoying him since she told him about the war.

"HaHa! For what else?" - She mocked as her eyes became sharp. - "Obviously. Power."

"The traitors got too greedy and decided that they wanted more power. Absolute power. The Tepes family being the head and ringleader of all." - She moved her arms under her chest, lifting her breasts and causing Issei to shift his sight a little, almost pulling a nerve on his eyes.

She didn't notice this at all, thankfully. - "They proclaimed that they were the actual head of the Vampires, shamelessly ignoring all the things and favors my family gave—gifted them!" - She spat at the memory. - "They explained how they were better than us, better rulers and fighters. Ascertaining that the Royal Family was useless and that they were destined to be the new rulers. Bah! Pure stupidity!"

"They promised riches and lands to the rest of the families. The Carmilla wanted half of our territory. The Bloodfallen wanted freedom since they were the lowest-ranked family. The Silverstein wanted all of our riches. And the Carlyle... those repugnant trash!" - Clutching her fists, her gauntlets creaked threateningly. - "Wanted us to be nothing more than slaves! Ridiculous! They wanted _my_ family as nothing more than servants? Are they retarded? They said that the women were going to be used as whores and the men as laborers!"

Issei _felt_ the hatred in her voice. The shadows underneath her began twisting and bending, cracks spread across the floor as the castle itself screeched at her sole presence.

Issei decided to discreetly increase the level of his Darkness, covering even more of his body just in case. He quickly made eye-contact with Fuuki and without any words she reinforced her magic circle and covered herself with a thin, invisible layer of Tōuki.

"Therefore, war started, and like I told you—things ended up like that. Four families including the Royal one... extinct." - Her tone was bitter. Well, after all, she was the last of her family.

After those word Issei had nothing to say but he felt sympathy for her, if something like that happened to his parents he would also be beyond furious. He also understood how she felt when one was left alone with no one and nothing.

"My turn." - Her voice broke him from his thoughts, she was quick on the talk.

"Tell me, what happened to you?" - He was surprised by her question as he widened his eyes, much to her surprise. An unknown emotion spread across his eyes, something that didn't go unnoticed by either of the females.

"What do you mean by that?" - He asked back, his voice rose by an octave and his body trembled for a second.

"Yes, like I said. How could you end up as a Dragon? If you didn't lie, you were once human." - She complemented her question a bit more.

He was startled, he thought she asked about _something_ else. But how could she? She didn't know a thing about him. But that little misstep was also noticed by both of the females present.

(Why did you reacted like that Ise? Did something happen?) - Fuuki was trying to join the dots together, narrowing her eyes.

(Hmm... Hyoudou Issei, why did you look so surprised? Are my words wrong or something?) - The white-haired woman thought to herself.

Issei understood her question and rapidly replied. - "After fighting the leader of the Old Maou Faction, I was hit by an arrow covered in the blood of ' _Samael.'_ My body was slowly destroyed and soon, my soul would have accompany it."

His tone was free of worry, as if what happened was to someone else.

"However, I was saved by the ' _Dragon of Dreams and Illusions_ ' and the ' _Dragon of Infinity and Nothingness.'_ " - He smirked at those words. - "They removed my soul from my body and made me a new body using theirs. The flesh and blood of Great Red and the power of Ophis." - His words sounded surreal to both of the females, not even Fuuki knew about that! Well it was a zealously kept secret after all.

Their eyes widened to the limit. The looks they gave him was as if he was the rarest mineral on Earth, or the strangest animal to ever exist.

He laughed when he saw those looks, he knew how special he actually was.

""Then you are—"" - He cut their words and replied in an extremely proud and arrogant voice.

"Indeed! I'm the sole existence that has the power of the two strongest Dragons and the Longinus Boosted Gear!"

"I actually believe that the word miracle was made exactly for me. Ha, just kidding." - He gave a cheeky smirk. - (I might have stolen your phrase Vali.) - He made the mental note.

His words managed to get a dumbfounded look in Fuuki's face while leaving Ericia speechless.

"Since you heard that, then I have a proposal." - He said to the Vampire. Since the moment he felt her aura, he had the idea. After talking with her he solidified his idea even more.

He wanted her as a part of his team!

"Hm?" - Tilting her head, she hummed as she looked at him.

"Recently, a new tournament has been proposed. You know about the Devils' Rating Games?" - He asked her.

"Not at all." - She told him while crossing her arms, her formerly big bust became even more noticeable once again.

"A Rating Game is a duel in which Devils fight against each other in search of fame and prestige with what they call ' _Peerages.'_ " - He said while being as concise as he could.

"They have the Evil Pieces based on the human chess pieces, with those they manage to give life to other creatures and turn them into their own species. They managed to reincarnate different beings around the supernatural world and turned them into Devils." - He explained to her and she quickly understood.

"Then... different pieces have different values, and with that a stronger being could be reincarnated." - She theorized.

"Precisely." - He smiled at her guess. - "And since those games became rather famous after the end of the War, an idea was proposed!" - He extended both of his arms.

"A World Class Rating Game! In which everyone could participate! Devils, Angels, Fallen-Angels, Norse, Dragons and even Gods! Everyone is allowed!"

"I took great interest in this and decided to form my own team! Fighting against Gods, Dragons and other Legendary creatures, whether modern or old. My goal is to stand at the top of the game!"

His blood was pumping, he wanted the games to already begin! His Dragon blood wanted to make a mess!

The Vampire was also like him, her blood was pumping. She knew how good of an opportunity this was!

Fuuki was also excited, she wanted to wreak havoc! Nothing like this opportunity to take advantage of!

"So! I ask you, Ericia Draculea! I want you as a part of my team!" - He pointed at her, both of his eyes shinning, his voice changed from being cold to warm.

The impact the woman felt, was big. - "I see!" - She grinned crazily just like a beast.

"But I have a problem…..." - Her words sounded serious. - "I don't serve anyone weaker than me!" - She grinned again, this time making an unsaid proposition.

Issei understood what she meant.

"That won't be a problem!" - His smile seemed free from any kind of doubt, even the light in his eyes was the same. Subconsciously his Darkness started to surround him, as if hugging him.

The woman saw this and was even more surprised, a satisfied smirk crossed her face.

"Then prove it!" - She was taunting him.

"Fuuki, stay out of this. This is between me, and her!" - The man told the Fox and she only nodded, lifting herself even higher than before. She knew how important this was.

"Then Milady! When do we start!?" - He screamed at her, the woman nodded and prepared for a fight.

(You have courage and pride, I like that!) - Her thoughts were complementing the man in front of her.

"Right now!" - She exclaimed and Issei did the same as her, he raised his guard!

He covered himself in his Darkness to half of his current maximum, he knew he would need at least that to equal her.

They looked into each other eyes, not doubting for a second. Then in the blink of an eye, they disappeared.

...

...

 _*BAAAAANNNNNGGG...!*_

A huge noise shook the entire hall! The windows cracked because of the aftershock!

Two figures could be seen standing at the center of the hall. Both of their fists against each other, a small crater was just below them as proof of the clash of fists.

(Stronger than I thought. I can barely keep up with her!) - Issei made his estimations.

(Strong fist, filled with experience and will.) - She also did the same.

Then at the same moment, both of them attacked with a kick.

 _*BAAAANNNNNNGGGG...!*_

A sound similar to an explosion was heard!

(Her kicks are stronger than her fists. In pure physical prowess she beats me, maybe even Sairaorg would lose.) - He felt his bone fracture at the point of impact, he knew that a close-range battle wasn't a good idea.

After that, he covered his left leg in his Darkness to heal the wound discreetly.

The woman seeing this, stepped back. She was cautious of that substance.

(Whatever that is.) - She glared at the weird substance. - (It's capable of increasing his physical abilities by a huge margin. I felt his bone crack right now, but before I could do more damage that thing reinforced his entire leg.)

She then narrowed her eyes and hid the smirk across her face. - (He's full of mysteries…...)

The leg was soon entirely covered by his Darkness, the fracture healed in less than a second. - (Time to fight seriously.)

Issei lifted his guard and then he summoned eight spheres of Darkness as big as bowling balls.

"Let's see what you can do." - He muttered as he shot his spheres.

They flew through the air without a problem, and as soon as they got to her, she dodged them beautifully. With flexibility that was unheard of.

The spheres went past her and struck the ground behind.

Eight, ten-meter domes in diameter were seen, vaporizing everything inside them. Eight holes were now part of the decoration of the hall.

Ericia turned her head slightly and eyed the eight holes, her eyes narrowed. - (What exactly were those things?)

She shook her head. - (Let's change tactics.) - Then her shadow extended in a circular manner, covering a big part of the hall.

" _Deceased Dragon Portrait!" -_ Many pitch black stakes came from her shadow. They were thin and sharp, clearly dangerous.

"Go." - When she ordered, the stakes went towards a single direction—in front.

Seeing this, Issei transformed his Darkness into a pair of wings and jumped high in the air. Those stakes covered everything below him. It was a sea of sharp, pointy shadows.

"That was dangerous..." - He took his sight off the Vampire and looked at the area below him, everything was covered by those spikes.

When he turned to look at the Vampire, she was gone.

Widening his eyes, his instincts kicked in. He flew at a random direction with a speed barely perceivable with the naked eye and dodged something that clearly came for his head.

He turned back around, right on time for him to see a soft arm holding a weapon cut his last position.

 _*SLAAAAAASHHH!*_

The sound of wind being cut wasn't the only thing he heard.

The floor a couple of meters below him had a huge cut that went from one side of the Hall to the other. Noticing this, he took an even greater distance.

(Just with her strength alone she managed to cut the floor without even touching it...) - He was getting surprise after surprise today.

The woman, on the other hand, was peacefully floating where he was at not a second earlier. She was holding a pitch-black Halberd that seemed to be made out of charcoal and smoke.

Of course, she was as surprised as he was. - (Those reflexes... they are borderline pre-cognitive. Not to mention that speed. It seems he honed both them through battles alone. Such suicidal action, truly worthy of a Dragon.)

"What is that?" - Issei asked as he looked at the Halberd, breaking her thoughts.

"This?" - She moved her Halberd around. He nodded in response, his eyes glued to her not wanting to make the same mistake twice.

"The strongest Vampires are capable of manipulating shadows. Some can turn them into servants similar to living beings, while others turn them into weapons. However, it can only be used by the strongest Vampires." - She explained to him.

(I see...) - He narrowed his eyes. - (That's gonna be annoying.)

His guess was that she was capable of doing, pretty much anything with those shadows.

"In that case." - He smirked. - "My turn!"

He lifted his arm up and pointed at her. Instantly, in front of the woman, several spheres of Darkness appeared out of thin air. No signs of ever being there before.

"What?!" - However, before she could retreat, they detonated.

 _*BOOOM! BOOMM! BBOOM! BOOMM! BOOOOM!*_

Less than a dozen black domes could be seen in the air, right where she was. Explosion after explosion was heard, blood and indescribable sounds accompanying them.

As the domes disappeared, a badly mutilated body was seen.

It was missing various limbs and everything else was scorched black. But despite seeing that, he didn't let his guard down.

Soon after, the body started to heal. Lost limbs regrown, meat turned back into a pristine white, hair back to its former appearance.

The beauty was just floating there, like nothing ever happened. A bored look across her face.

The woman extended her left hand to the side and a Halberd was shot from the shadow underneath her. Catching it while in the air, she twirled it around expertly and fixed her stance.

She then lowered her center of gravity and said. - "Those spheres of yours are extremely dangerous. Highly concentrated flames that vaporize everything inside them."

She refused to take another blow of those flames, it was time to fight a bit more seriously.

(That regeneration is ridiculous! Even for me to say!) - He hid his worry from her. - (But it seems her defense is rather low if so much damage was done from tha?!)

He stopped his analysis when he saw the woman disappear from his sight.

" **Rebellion!** " - He summoned the blade as a reflex.

 _*CLAAANG!*_ \- The sound of metal clashing against metal was heard.

"Argh!"

The strength behind her blow was huge. He was sent flying towards the ground.

 _*BBOOOOMMMMM...!*_

After the huge cloud of dust was gone, their figures could be seen.

Ericia was standing in the air while holding her Halberd close to the middle of the shaft. Issei was inside the crater, he was still standing despite the blow. His trusty blade had a pretty obvious chip and a huge crack was on the surface.

(Ridiculous!) - He eyed his blade and still couldn't believe it.

Not daring enough block another blow with the same blade, he summoned the rest of **'Rebellion'** and surrounded himself with them.

Mentally ordering them to attack, the blades were sent flying towards her with astounding speed. In the blink of an eye they were already in front of her.

Ericia eyed the blades coldly as she expertly twirled her Halberd. As fast as lightning, six cling sounds were heard.

The six blades were countered, and with such a force that they were actually sent flying!

Issei saw a momentary gap in her defense after her maneuver and used his Darkness to cover his legs.

Lowering his body, he made a crater as he jumped.

As he basically teleported in front of her, he swung his blade with all of his strength.

 _*CLAAAAAAANNNNGGGG...!*_

The sound was similar to the roar of some beast!

Ericia managed to block his blow, but this time she was forced down to the ground. Sparks could be seen from the grinding between metal of both weapons.

Not letting her rest, Issei mentally ordered the blade in his hand to move. It twirled around his wrist and broke the contact with her Halberd.

While taking a step forward he reinforced his arms with his Darkness to increase his power, a diagonal slash was the one that started all.

However, she parried it with ease, creating sparks from the slash.

Issei changed his swing to a horizontally slash! She blocked it with the shaft of her Halberd, but she took a step back rather forcefully, breaking her balance.

Twirling the blade in his hand he made a vertical cut, but she dodged it while pressing her hands against the ground and doing a backflip.

(This woman is really good.) - His momentum was stopped when she dodged the last blow.

She fixed her stance, stabilized her balance, and pointed her Halberd towards him. Her eyes, emotionless.

Soon, she sprinted towards him and sent a thrust aimed at the middle of his chest.

 _*BAAAAAANNNGGGG...!*_

Issei used the length of his blade to block the blow, but it was still enough to send him flying across the Hall.

Ericia took advantage of this and in a sudden burst of speed she disappeared from her former location, leaving an afterimage.

Issei saw her movement... barely, and whilst still flying across the Hall he did several backflips. With the momentum he gained, he twisted his body and sent a front-kick, aiming where she would appear.

Ericia widened her eyes in shock when she saw that counter. - (What monstrous instincts he has!?)

She tried to stop herself, but it was not enough. The kick perfectly landed on her chest.

 _*BOOOOOMMMMMM...!*_

The armour in her chest was shattered and she was sent flying high up into the air.

Issei landed on the ground and reduced the rest of his momentum. Ericia, on the other hand, crashed against the chandeliers in the ceiling.

Debris alongside pieces of metal fell from the ceiling, crashing against the ground and creating clouds of smoke.

Issei narrowed his eyes when the smoke covered him, he knew this wasn't good.

Soon his instincts screamed at him to move his head, he barely did it on time. He felt how his cheek was cut by the projectile flying past Mach-Speed.

 _*BAAAANNGGGGG...!*_

A Halberd was embedded on the marble floor, spreading cracks across the floor.

He widened his eyes in brief shock and turned his head back at the ceiling. Ericia was standing upside down, her legs and knees embedded on the ceiling.

Issei could see the bones in her thighs and waist gruesomely forcing themselves back in place as well as the depression in her chest heal, accompanied by the crunches of bones and flesh. Blood fell from the corner of her mouth but the smile she had, took his breath away.

Taking advantage of this, Ericia dashed towards him, breaking the ceiling apart. She spun in the air and made a perfect drop-kick while aiming the tip of her foot at Issei's throat.

Issei dodged to the left and threw himself towards the floor, wishing to stay away from that drop.

 _*BAAAAAANNNNNGGGG...!*_

Ericia landed and the whole castle felt it, but the sound of her legs breaking at the point of impact —again— was definitely not pretty.

Issei rolled across the ground wanting to get out of the crater she made. After that he pressed his arms on ground and did a backbend. But what he saw, left him speechless.

Ericia was already on her way towards him, Halberd on hand and ready to kill him.

(She set me up!) - He realized that her goal with that kick was the weapon, not him! But before he could do anything, she was already in front of him.

As she appeared next to him, her legs were already healed. She then twirled her Halberd across her body, used herself as a pivot, and gained momentum. Twisting her body even more, she extended the Halberd increasing her reach, and grabbed it near the end of it. All of this in the fragment of a second.

Then, she moved her whole body and... struck!

"Shit!" - He could only lift his arms and prepare himself for impact.

 _*BAAAAAANNNNNNNNGGGGGG...!*_

Issei was sent flying, crashing against the castle wall and breaking whatever was inside the Hall.

The entire wall crumbled, and he was sent outside.

He used his Darkness and covered his mangled left arm, changing it into the shape of a claw. He grasped the ground with it, diminishing his momentum and landing safely.

"Tch! What a blow." - Even his head was dizzy, he looked at his butchered arms and gulped. - (It demolished my arms even when I blocked it. Just how strong is she?)

Seeing his Darkness do its magic he focused. - (Change of strategies.)

He had a plan and soon, an old spartan-like spear appeared in his hand. The same he used to fight and wound Vali.

He rested it against his shoulder, tapping it while looking relaxed, which he wasn't. He knew she surpassed him in the physical ambit and her regeneration made her next to bugged, however, her defence was weak so he needed something that forces her stay on the ground.

(I need pure power.) - He concluded.

(I need something that increases my strength exponentially...) - He was starting to think, his best ideas always came from the battlefield.

He then saw the woman come out of the hole on the wall. She was calmly walking while sensually moving her hips, a smile plastered across her face

"Is that all?" - She taunted him.

"Oh you wish!" - He moved his spear off his shoulder and took a throwing stance. Then, two spirals of energy came from the tip of it.

" **Drill!** " - He muttered and the spear was thrown at her.

 _*Schunck!*_ \- Without noticing anything the spear went right through her!

(I didn't even see it coming! This speed is monstrous!) - She eyed the weapon in the middle of her chest.

"Blargh!"- Vomiting blood she grabbed the spear, trying to take it out.

 _*Sphhhlt!*_ \- She took the spear out of her body. A hole present on her chest, piercing straight through her, and almost hitting her heart.

"That attack is mortal to anyone that can't see the spear." - She said as the hole in her chest quickly healed, she was restored like nothing ever happened.

(I need to stop playing, he's far stronger than I thought. A mistake and I'm done for, my regeneration can only do that much before tiring me out.)

Throwing the spear at a side she extended her arm, pointing at Issei. After that she turned her palm this time facing up and she moved it towards her.

"Blargh!" - This time, Issei vomited blood!

(What?!) - He felt his lungs getting pierced and his heart scratched. He turned his head with difficulty and looked at his shadow.

"So... you... can create weapons... from others shadows as well..."

A huge stake came out of his shadow! It was long and thick maybe the size of an arm. Then like smoke, it vanished into thin air.

"My Win." - She seriously told Ise who was still standing coughing blood.

"Win? Cough! Sorry but that's not true." - He smiled.

"Stop acting tough. That hole in your chest says otherwise." - She said.

"Hole? What hole?" - He cynically asked.

"Don't anger—?!" - Her words stopped at her throat as she looked at Ise's chest.

It was perfectly healed without any kind of wound! Like she did nothing!

"Impossible! What... What did you do?!" - She screamed at him, he just smirked and answered.

"My Darkness is capable of healing any type of wound, doesn't matter how heavy." - He then started to walk towards his right.

The woman turned her whole body around to face him, unknowingly doing what he wanted.

"Us Dragons once we reach a certain threshold are no longer the same. There are eleven Dragons in History that have surpassed that threshold, and now you're facing one of them!" - He said with hidden arrogance.

He the stopped his walk, once again preparing to fight. But before that, he extended his arm pointing it at her, afterwards he muttered.

" **Return.** "

The spear that was now behind her, as if having a mentality of its own, went towards him!

 _*Schunck!*_ \- The tip of it went right through her left chest, leaving a much bigger whole than the one before! The woman didn't even flinch when the spear went through her. It seems she could even heal that kind of damage.

Issei caught the spear bu the shaft and pointed at her.

"A little trick I thought off a few days ago after my fight against the Hakuryuuko. It was annoying to always create a new one so I decided to simply have it come back to me." - He explained.

Since his fight in Kyoto Ise discovered that he needed to know how to spend his Aura. After all, he still wasn't a fully mature Dragon, therefore, his recovery of it was still slow, and during a fight he didn't want to be out of gas.

"Round 2?" - He mocked the beauty.

"Hmph!" - She replied with annoyance, clearly mad at him for his little plot. But Issei took advantage of that.

As quick as a lightning, Issei sped towards her. And at the tip of his spear a purple-black ember was seen.

" **Flare up!** "- He screamed and swung his spear.

From the tip of it, a tidal wave of flames came forth, covering everything in sight.

The woman was surprised but she still decided to take the hit, not like she could dodge with that huge AOE. But she didn't stay there with her arms crossed, using her shadows she created more stakes that impaled his legs all the way through his thighs.

 _*FOOOOOSHHHHHHH!*_

The flames touched her hastily laid defense and went through it like butter.

Issei withstood the pain in his legs as he saw the wall of purple-black flames that reached and covered the hole in the castle.

 _*Sizzle... Sizzle... Sizzle...*_

As the flames continued burning chunks of the castle, Issei saw something that startled him.

From the flames, Ericia calmly walked out. Most of her skin gone and the sight of her chest and arms that exposed _pure_ muscle and white bones seemed to come straight out of a horror movie.

Some parts of her body were still caught ablaze and her left arm was gone all the way to her shoulder, just a cauterized stump. Her chest and parts of her neck were charred black, and one could swear her blood was _literally_ boiling. Her legs were pretty laid bare to the bones but even with all of that she still walked out without fear.

As she walked, muscles grew on her legs soon covered by flawless white skin. Her left arm regrew with and went back to normal, and her chest and neck were covered by new fresh skin. Her shadows covered her naked body gifting her, her bodysuit and armor.

Issei stood there, forgetting about the stakes trapping him and watching with morbid fascination.

She sprinted towards him, covering the distance between them like a joke. As she reached in front of him, she clutched her fist making her gauntlets creak.

Issei clicked his tongue and lifted both arms up, covering himself in Darkness.

 _*CRAAAACCKKK...!*_

Her punch reached him, and bones were broken with that hit. Even if he guarded against it, both of his arms were basically in pieces now.

He gritted his teeth and healed his arms.

(Clever woman.) - He saw that the stakes were still rooted on the ground, but not because of that will he become a punching bag!

Coating both of his arms in his flames, he released a jab aimed at her face with all the strength he had, not reserving a thing. His fist did the same she did to him.

* _CRAAAAACCCKKK...!*_

He broke her arms as well. She was sent flying against the facade of the castle, completely destroying it. Now only bits and pieces were left of that castle.

(Finally...) - He managed to catch a breath.

Taking opportunity of this he forcefully removed the stakes from his legs and took his distance from the castle.

"...Pant... Pant... Pant... " - After many bad hits and healing them he was feeling tired, but he could still fight without a doubt.

"HaHaHaHaHa! Now, that's a punch!" - Laughter was heard from the curtain of smoke and dirt.

A figure could be seen from the smoke, Ericia was walking towards him. Her left arm was bent in an odd angle, and her right one had embers of his flames above her elbow. Her legs appeared to be bruised and battered and at the corner of her mouth, blood was dripping down.

"You're something else Issei!" - She seemed happy, Issei knew that smile too well.

(That's the same smile Vali, Sairaorg, Cao Cao, and now the one I have. A battle-hungry smile, happy about the challenger in front of us.) - He thought as he felt a bit nostalgic.

"From now on, I'll fight with all my power!" - She told him and soon her aura slowly increased.

"I suspected that…" - Across the fight he was questioning whether she was fighting him seriously, it seems she wasn't.

 _*CLIING...! CLIIING...! CLING...! CLIINNG...!*_

From her shadow, a huge set of Halberds was formed, each of them in different sizes and shapes.

"Different from my siblings I'm only good at transforming my shadows into Halberds and Stakes. They were more special, capable of changing into different weapons and even servants." - She narrated as she grabbed a Halberd from her shadow.

"But according to my mother, my absolute advantage was my physical strength and my regeneration!"

(So her regeneration was abnormal even among her family.) - He was glad that, that was the truth.

"I was the strongest of all my siblings and according to my father, my regeneration was pretty much the same as his, even stronger! My father was the first and only son of Dracula so you could say that I am really strong."

She pointed her Halberd at him.

"You're the first one that has forced me this much, not even the ones that sealed me managed to get this far! For that, I thank you, Issei. This was by far the best fight in my life!" - He thanked him sincerely, something she had never done.

Although she didn't like that the fight was going to end, she did like that he never gave up. He seemed really interesting to be around.

(I'll think about that after you become stronger than me.)

She pushed her thoughts to the side and raised her Halberd. All of the ones in her Shadows floated above her and filled the sky.

(Now... that's quite the view...) - Seeing the brown sky change into black he was surprised.

" ' _Lance of the Black Knight!'_ "- Then all of the Halberds rained on top of him, blocking his view.

 _*_ _SWIISH...!_ _SWISH...!_ _SWIISSSH...!_ _SWIISH...!_ _SWISH...!*_

Many cutting noises were heard. Making the earth quake at the magnitude of this attack, the entire city shook from this very blow.

After some time, the former square in front of the castle was reduced to a big smoking crater that covered all the space and even parts of the castle.

Fuuki saw the entire battle, and although it was a lie to say she wasn't worried sick about him, she knew him better than most. She knew that he will still win, so she swallowed down the scream that was on her throat and waited for the true outcome to occur.

The smoke settled down and a figure was seen deep inside the crater.

Issei was still standing, the light in his eyes had yet to vanish.

His body was skewered by the Halberds, some still sticking to his body. Big cuts were all over his body, some really deep while others were small.

His left arm was almost gone, being skewered so many times that the arm was almost severed. His thighs were pierced, and long cuts crisscrossed his chest, a really bad state that could kill just by looking. Yet his Darkness was still healing him, albeit at an extremely slow speed.

Opening his eyes even more than before, he muttered. - " **Dark.. Cocoon!** " - Then his Darkness enveloped him, forming an oval shape not letting anyone see what happened inside.

After a minute or two, his Darkness returned to covering his right arm and thigh.

A completely healed Issei was now standing at the center of the crater, his wounds gone. But the fatigue in his face was clear for all to see.

(Using that always exhausts me.) - He thought as he looked at the shocked face of the Vampire.

" **Purgatory Flame Bird!** " - He extended his arm at his side and a black sphere appeared, quickly morphing into a bird.

"Go." - He told the bird which in turn looked at the beauty, flapped its wings, and flew towards her.

Ericia quickly made a move, using all of her strength she summoned all the stakes she could use as her shield.

 _*FOOOOOSSSHHHH!*_

They proved to be useless as the bird burnt through them like nothing.

(That thing is extremely dangerous! That could kill me!) - For once she felt the blade of death against her neck.

Her regeneration was similar to Ise's, it tired her out and it could only heal as long as she wasn't completely destroyed. In other words, as long as one important organ remained, then she could regenerate. But if the brain and the heart were both destroyed without a single piece remaining, then it was dead end.

Gathering the majority of her remaining strength she used the absolute trump card that could save her from death. Her body started to change, and it began transforming into mist, soon it became transparent.

The bird struck directly at her.

 _*BAAAAAANNNNNNNGGGGG...!*_

A small sun was formed at her location, absurd heat was created from the impact.

This was the strongest **'** **Purgatory Flame Bird'** he ever created, maybe because he was really desperate. Even the usual red flames turned slightly black.

(That...) - Issei was thinking as he saw the reddish black sun.

(...That could probably mortally wound a Maou...) - He thought as he remembered their strength during the war. - (Of course Sirzechs and Ajuka are a different story.) - He knew those two were above everything else.

The sun started to diminish in heat and disappeared, on its place nothing could be seen.

"Don't tell me I killed her? No! That shouldn't be possible!" - He refused the thought immediately.

Then, in front of him, mist started to amalgamate, changing into the form of a beautiful woman that looked exhausted, even her face looked sickly pale.

"You... actually forced me... to use my ' _Mist Transformation?!'_ " - She told him, not believing what just happened.

"Mist Transformation?" - He couldn't help but ask.

"Some of us... Vampires... are born with special abilities." - She decided to explain as she regained her breath.

"My eldest brother controlled blood, any type of it, even others blood... My eldest sister was capable of changing the weather and at a small scale, she could manipulate its elements. My third brother could shapeshift into anything he could think of, whether human or beast. And I could change my whole body into mist, temporarily making me invulnerable." - She explained to Issei, those words made him widen his eyes.

(Not for nothing were they called the strongest Vampires!)

He now understood why were they so feared and all remaining families had to join forces to fight them, and even like that they almost exterminated themselves!

"I won't give up!" - He told her, forcing his tired body to work overtime, he used everything he had left.

The woman saw him and smirked.

(I like that will of yours, it's truly praiseworthy!) - She smirked, right now she had little over 15% of her energy remaining, maybe a bit more. Issei, on the other hand, was just running on fumes.

"HAAAAA!" - He screamed and sprinted towards her, using his fists as the sole method to attack!

She responded in the same way.

 _*BAAAAAMMM...!*_

Like in the beginning of their fight, both clashed fists.

Issei could feel how his knuckles were cracking.

(Not yet!) - He mentally screamed and punched her with his other hand.

 _*BAAAAAANNNNNGGGG...!*_

The earth dented and both fists sprayed blood, reaching each others' faces.

 _*BAANG..! BANG...! BAAANNG...! BAANG...! BAAAANG...! BAANNG...!*_

Multiple sounds echoed all around the city. Blow after blow, fist after fist and kick after kick. They were fighting with everything they had!

However, Issei knew he was losing, his bones were cracked in multiple places and even his knuckles were all bloody!

(More strength! A blow! Another Blow! Each stronger than the last!) - He mentally screamed, he wanted to be stronger, he wanted to win. This was no longer a matter of who was better than the other. This was literally their lives on the line! Their pride! Their future!

 _*BBOOOOOOMMMMM...!*_

Their kicks resounded all over the ancient citadel, causing glass to break and walls to creak.

Issei felt how his bones were fracturing, cracking, and breaking into separate pieces.

(No! I refuse to lose like this!) - He returned the leg he used to kick back to the earth and this time, he punched.

* _BBAAAAANNGGGG..._!*

His Darkness covered his body even more, it was trying to do everything it could, to fulfill his wishes.

Then it happened his Darkness pulsed, his next strike became stronger than the last!

 _*BAAAAAMMMM...!*_

Surprised at the increase in strength, Ericia took a step backwards.

Issei didn't waste this, he struck again! And again! And again!

(What's happening?! Each attack is stronger than the last! How could it be possible!?) - She was shocked at the result of the clash of fists, little by little she was forced to use her everything to equal him.

Issei kept striking, he knew that he could win if things kept going like this! His attacks kept getting stronger!

(Just like a combo...) - She thought as he continued striking, now being in his twentieth strike!

The bones in her hand fractured again. Widening her eyes she decided to use all she had left, not sparring a thing!

Issei was getting tired, the fist fight was taking too much energy from him. Thanks to his Darkness increasing the power of each consecutive blow, he was capable of standing toe to toe in the physical department against Ericia. But not for long, he needed to end it.

Soon after, he saw how Ericia started to change.

Her former pristine skin turned into the color of ash, white mixed with black. Her nails elongated and her eyes became even redder than before, shinning with an eerie, red light.

However he still decided to hit her.

 _*BBOOOOOMMMMM...!*_

"' _Lord of Vampires_!'" - Her voice echoed all over the place at the same time.

"This is my absolute best! Merging with my shadows and increasing my physical capabilites to the utmost limit!" - She explained as she threw a punch!

Issei couldn't see it at all and was directly struck in his ribcage.

 _*CRAAAACCKKK...!*_

His sternum was broken into multiple pieces!

But he was angry because his combo was broken, he figured out that as long as he kept striking within a period of time, his blows would increase in force! He still didn't know how much stronger they could get, but he was getting somewhere.

However, that punch sent him flying, breaking his combo.

He destroyed the remaining houses behind him and was sent flying through even more of them!

"BLAARGHH!" - Vomiting mouthfuls of blood, Issei landed onto a pile of broken wooden planks and broken pieces of stone.

His ribs were basically in different pieces, his chest was caved in.

His organs had suffered a lot from that punch, even some of them were punctured due to his broken bones.

(Shit! Just as I was starting to get the lead! How many trump cards did Ericia have!?)

His Darkness was healing him extremely slowly, a wound that bad would take its sweet time.

(At this pace... I won't be able to fight for long.)

He disliked the fact that he lost against her, he wanted to prove that he wasn't all talk! He wanted to prove everyone that he wasn't the same as before!

He stayed there for a couple of seconds deciding what to do, but he heard something.

[Will you give up?]

Hearing that familiar voice, he smiled and felt nostalgic. He knew who he was, and damn was he late!

"Give up? Not at all!" - He stood from the debris and started to walk, albeit slowly.

He went through the many holes he caused, and soon reached the crater that once was the main square.

Ericia was still there, her skin still being the color of ash. She looked exhausted and was breathing heavily, she wasn't different from him.

"You won't give up?!" - She was amazed, he was already weak and exhausted but he still stood up!

He didn't care about anything, he just wanted to prove her he was worthy of being her leader! He wanted to win and wanted her to become a part of his team!

(You're something else entirely Issei. The first man that has made me feel such a huge amount of respect. Not even my father was capable of this, you're the first! With a Will of Steel like that, I don't know what to do.)

She was feeling confused, each blow she received made her feel his conviction, his emotions, his _Will_. Like in the idiom; 'In a fight, people truly understand each other'. She felt surprised at this man in front of her, now, she finally made her choice.

(Even if you lose the fight, I'll follow you.) - She decided as she watched him walk closer. - (You gained my respect and trust Issei. Maybe with you at my side this world will be much more interesting.) - She thought and looked back at him.

"Ericia, you're an incredible woman. Strong, beautiful, smart, courageous, brave and so much more! But exactly because of that I won't let you get away from me! I'll defeat you and make you accept me as your leader! So that we can see this big world together!"

His words transmitted a will and feelings she never experienced before, she blushed at his honesty. - (Really... what an interesting man you are...)

The same words were heard by Fuuki, who was burning in jealousy.

(Why did you have to say those words?! Why?!) - She screamed internally as she saw the small blush on the Vampire. - (Rather! Say those words to me, and only me!) - Her true thoughts escaped her mind there for a second.

"And because I want that! Want you. I'll use everything I have at my disposal." - He extended his left arm and placed it in front of him.

(Ddraig... There's much to catch up, but for now lend me your strength! I don't want to lose!) - He asked the certain someone that was always with him.

Then, in the reverse of his left palm, a green glow appeared. Illuminating everything in sight.

[HaHaHaHaHa!] - The laugh echoed all over the crater and the city itself.

[Partner, there's indeed much to catch up! But I must say you have grown, I feel proud! It feels good to be back!] - A voice was heard from within the green glow.

Hearing it, the women were petrified! They knew that gauntlet! And more than that! That voice and power!

"Lets go Ddraig! Like old times!"

 _* **Dragon Booster! Second Liberation!***_

The Boosted Gear materialized in a pillar of red light that blocked everyone's vision!

A red gauntlet appeared on his left arm, it covered up till the elbow and was giving off a really heavy feeling. Red as its main color alongside the green gem at the center and in the elbow, and golden spikes at the ends of it.

This was the Boosted Gear! One of the thirteen Longinus!

Seeing the gauntlet Issei noticed how it was in its second form. It seems that all the training he did managed to get him good results.

 **'Boost!'** \- The usual voice was heard. Issei didn't have much time, he had only the energy for a single blow.

Covering his Boosted Gear with his Darkness he increased his power to the limit. - **'Boost!'**

He smirked when he felt the increase in power, but he knew his body couldn't handle more.

 **'Transfer!'** \- All the energy he had, he transfered it into his left fist for a single strike. This reminded him of a certain past event.

He sped up and reached Ericia, who was still shocked. A different light was seen in her eyes the moment she saw him closing in.

Using all he had, he punched her.

Not capable of doing something else, she used everything in defense, she planted her feet firmly against the ground and crossed both of her arms.

Then, the punched reached her.

 _*BAAAAAAAAANNNNNNGGGGGG...! BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM...!*_

She was sent flying all the way across the crater! The last part of the still remaining castle was gone when she crashed against it!

For a brief second she only felt pain and then she lost consciousness... she lost against him.

But before that she thought - (Excellent, Issei...) - Whether those thoughts signified something else, no one would know.

Issei was still standing at the center of the crater, barely hanging onto his consciousness.

He fell down to his knees and when he was about to fall he was caught by the Fuuki, tears falling down her eyes.

"Perfectly done Issei. You did great." - She muttered as he lost consciousness in her arms, he needed to rest. They will stay here until he regains his senses, both of the ones fighting needed to take a break.

* * *

 **—-A couple of hours later.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Issei was slowly waking up. Looking up, the brown ceiling was the only thing he could see.

(That... took much more than I thought.) - After forcing himself, he stood up.

He looked around and saw that he was resting on some random destroyed house, its roof was completely gone.

He saw a moldy bed right behind him, with a single hole on it.

(Fuuki...) - He knew who took care after him after he lost consciousness, he smiled at the thought.

This place was just the bottom part of a house nothing else, but aside from his bed another one was present in the opposite side of the room.

A certain someone he just fought was resting there, her eyes still closed.

"...It seems we're both pretty exhausted." - He talked in a small voice so as to not wake the other resident up.

Feeling slightly worn out, he sat at the bedside and relaxed, thinking about what to do next.

His thoughts were stopped by a familiar voice inside his head.

[It seems you're awake Partner.]

(...Ddraig...) - He mumbled his name. - (Good to have you back.) - He talked to the Dragon.

[Of course! What would you do without me?] - The red Dragon joked.

"HaHaHaHa, true." - Issei laughed, the first time in a long time.

[Then Partner, what has happened recently?]

The Dragon was intrigued, he saw his friend fighting against that Vampire. He also saw how the Fox Yōkai took care of him when he fainted, with a rather too happy smile on her face.

"About that…..." - He exhaled a tired breath. - "A lot happened…..."

[We have time until the Fox comes back, give me a rundown.] - Issei nodded his head.

"There's going to be a World Class Rating Game, even Gods are going to participate in it. I thought that was extremely interesting, so I decided that while I tour around the world, I would also search for members for my team." - The Dragon kept his silence.

"The first destination I went to, was Kyoto."

"While I looked around I heard about an extremely powerful Yōkai that was imprisoned." - He smirked when he remembered that, hearing this the Dragon also smiled. It seemed Issei had his fair share of adventures while he was resting.

"I investigated and found out that she was being kept in a prison inside Arashiyama. I looked inside the place and after much effort, I found the prison." - He moved his arms a little, to ease the numbness he felt.

"After many things, I found her inside a special jail cell."

"We then talked for a little while. During those moments I figured out that because she was the descendant of a certain someone, she was abused by everyone and unjustly jailed. Therefore, I promised to free her from that place and help her regain something that belonged to her family, and in exchange she would join my team."

The Dragon was hearing his explanation while he thought.

[(She wouldn't have joined you just because of that, well at least the look on her face and eyes says way more. It seems, Partner, you accidentally made another woman fall for you!)] - While thinking that, he suppressed a laugh.

"So we went to a special party where the treasure was going to be presented and prepared to steal it. In that place Vali was there and a couple of Gods were also there. Long story short, I fought Vali and the Storm God of Shintoism to stall for time, while she stole the treasure and came for me. We managed to escape thanks to that treasure and we left the place." - He finished his first adventure.

[What was that treasure?] - The Dragon was interested, not many thing were capable of helping you escape a God.

"The Yasakani-No-Magatama." - He smirked at that comment.

The Dragon was slightly surprised, he didn't expect that!

[Who is she?] - Since she said the treasure belonged to her family then she must be someone rather powerful.

"The last descendant of Tamamo-No-Mae, a Kyuubi-no-Yōko." - The Dragon widened his eyes a bit inside the Sacred Gear, surprised by the information.

He knew who the Legendary Kyuubi was, rather infamous reputation she had. But if his Partner trusted her after what he went through, then she was good in his book.

"After that we went to Nasuno to rest and train. Then we wanted to explore Romania." - He started his second adventure.

"Fuuki thought it would be funny to set a random location and transport us to Romania, thanks to that we appeared in a Ghost Town." - He sighed. - "Having nothing better to do, we went inside it and found out that the placed was destroyed due to supernatural reasons."

"While looking for information, we discovered that the town was destroyed by Vampires. The reason was because of half a book!"

The Dragon was confused, all of that for a book? - [What kind of book?]

"The book was that of the Ancient Citadel of Vampires, Umbra! It explained where it was and how to enter it!" - That made the Ddraig amused, it sounded interesting.

"We had one half but we were missing the other, so we went to look for it. Finding it in a hidden room inside the Tepes Castle, at the very bottom of it." - He smiled in a proud way when he told him that.

"We joined the two halves and went to look for the Citadel." - He had a small smirk in his face.

"We found it and the place was in ruins. It seemed that a Civil War occurred and many Vampire families died because of it." - His words amused the Dragon, it sounded like one of the many stories that he had listened throughout his life. Civil Wars were rather common in the Supernatural World.

"Looking deeper into the city we found the castle, and after opening the main gate we found a strange iceberg. Inside it, she." - He pointed at the woman on the bed. "Was sealed."

"We freed her and after a little conversation, I proposed her to become part of my team. She would do it as long as I proved her I was stronger than her, so we fought and the rest of the story you already know it."

He finished narrating his second adventure and decided to ask something to Ddraig but before he could, the Dragon asked first.

[So who is she? If you accepted her proposal she must be someone special.] - Ddraig asked Issei.

"She is the last survivor of the Royal Family of the Vampires. Born as the strongest Vampire and Direct descendant of Dracula himself. Ericia Draculea" - His words managed to make Ddraig smirk in interest, this sounded pretty good!

[You really found extremely powerful and rare people for your team, Partner.] - Issei could swear he saw a smirk on the Dragon's face.

"Maybe I did, or maybe it was all luck." - He dismissed his comment and soon asked what he needed to know.

"How did you woke up? I thought it would take more time?" - The sudden appearance of the Dragon managed to make him win his fight.

[About that, The Boosted Gear received an stimulant and woke up earlier that I thought. It seems your pure wish for strength and to win against the Vampire managed to activate the Boosted Gear before planned.]

Issei remembered the words of Azazel.

"The Sacred Gears respond to the will and feelings of their possessors, so pretty much everything can be possible." - He quoted the words of the Fallen.

[Exactly.]

"Hmm...… Hmm…..." - Their conversation was interrupted by the other resident here.

She slowly opened her eyes and mumbled, her voice still exhausted.

"What happened?" - She rose up from her dream, and like Issei, sat at her own bedside.

"Damn! My head hurts!" - She complained and shook her head to get rid of the dizziness.

"It seems you're alive." - The words sounded like a Deja-Vu to her. Then she looked at the other one present in the badly destroyed house.

"You actually did it..." - Seeing him, she mouthed her comment.

"Of course! After all, I wanted you to come with me." - He smiled at her as he said those words.

His voice sounded naturally warm but also sharp. A voice like that made Ericia relax.

(I like that voice...) - She thought as she kept looking at him.

"Since you beat me, I'll follow you. I'll become part of your team!" - Her tone was full of strength and pride, she seemed to completely agree to come with him on his tour around the world.

"Perfect!"

"Where are we going?" - She asked, curiosity in her eyes.

"The Game will start in less than three Months, so until then we will go travel around the world."

"I have never left this place but it sounds interesting!" - The light in her eyes increased, but Issei asked something that had him worried.

"Will you be okay in the sunlight?" - Since he planned to travel by day, some inconveniences may arise if she could only move at night.

"Yes, no problem at all. Thanks to my regeneration and just like my father, I won't be affected by any type of light, natural or divine. At least compared to other Vampires it's not a weakness that can kill me instantly."

Hearing this comment, he sighed in relief. - "Good to know."

He never would have he thought that thanks to her regeneration she could ignore the adverse effect light had on Vampires.

"Then, everything will be according to plan!" - Now he had light in his eyes, seeing him like this the Vampire smirked as if finding it interesting.

Then the 'door', being a wooden plank that covered the hole at the entrance, was moved.

The Fox beauty came from it, and at the second she saw Issei her face changed, a beaming smile appeared on it.

"Ise!~" - She sprinted towards him and hugged him.

Seeing her like this, and also hearing the comment of Ddraig saying she took care of him, he hugged her back.

"Thanks for everything Fuuki." - He whispered in her ear, which as a result managed to make her face as red as possible.

The Vampire looked at her and giggled in mockery, at the sound Issei stopped hugging Fuuki.

As soon as she felt him leave, she pouted.

(Must, not, see, that cute face…...) - He turned his head and looked at the Vampire again.

"Ready to leave?" - He stood up and walked towards her. when he reached closed enough he extended his hand. Surprised by this she chuckled and took his hand.

"Ha! Of course!" - Her voice sounded prideful and sharp, her usual tone of voice.

"Then, let's leave." - He looked at Fuuki who only nodded her head and summoned the Yasakani-No-Magatama, a portal was quickly made.

"Let's go." - He ordered both of them, Fuuki was the first to go inside.

Ericia looked at the vortex curiously and turned to look at Ise, he nodded his head and the beauty smirked.

Walking with her head held high and visibly moving her hips, she went inside the portal, Issei was soon left alone.

"Things just keeps getting interesting." - He smirked and placed his hands in his pockets, like them, he walked towards the vortex.

As soon as he walked through it the portal disappeared. Issei had officially left the Castle of Shadows, Umbra.

* * *

 **END**

* * *

 **.**

(Edited my friends, I hope you can read it better this way.)

(A Random Day Around March)

—-

THAT WAS LOOOOONNNNGGGGGG!

It took some time to prepare, and to brainstorm, but even longer to write!

But I believe that this was a hell of a chapter! The second team member was introduced, a Vampire! And a extremely strong one at it. If it wasn't for the convenient timing of the Boosted Gear plus Ericia being tired out, then Ise would have lost!

By the way, she only feels respect for Issei nothing more, for now...

But everything went right at the ending. I like how the story is going, up until now I believe a great work was done! I still need to introduce the rest of the team, and some other things but that would be fun as well.

The chants, I decided that for a super strong attack a chant was needed, since it hold extreme levels of energy there needed something to help one control it. Sooner or later more will be added but to who exactly I still don't know.

The story is progressing and I hope that after all you guys are enjoying it as much as I enjoy writing it!

(Btw, I have been editing the former chapter so now they can be more easily read, (I think...). Well I hope you enjoyed the Chapter. See you soon.)

—-

Answers:

Xerox45: Thanks. I think she really fit in the story nicely.

Freakofnature65: Thanks! The next chapter will be better, I guarantee it. After all the story, needs to be a bit bright, not everything is bad. But I do indeed need to prepare things for later, a lor of Drama incoming but for now it will be all decently good.

SPG (guest): Yeah, I also believe my grammar should improve. After all I need to improve, for the story to be better. I'll try to do my best in that aspect, but some things may slip. Anyway thanks I will really try to improve.

Johnny Boi: Yes, I needed it to be a fast pace at least with her, and about the trauma of Issei lets say you're right! But I need to introduce it a little later, can't let his own Drama, 'Overshadow', the new character. Later things will get more Dramatic.

TatsuyaShiva4: You won't be disappointed, I guarantee that. Later in the story you will know why. It will certainly be fun, I'll give you a little hint, it's related to his journey around the world, and this person will be part of his team.

Hiei-Uchiha: Thanks! What did you thought about the chapter? Quite good I think, the cameo was quite fun to write had my laughs while doing it!

adislt: They won't, later on the drama will increase and a lot. Little by little it will start getting much more interesting. But for know I need to focus on other things.

Wahyubison: Indeed it's more or less like that. I already choose everyone but not all are from the ones you mentioned, a little thing for later.

Mir19: Thanks, About Amaterasu I'm still thinking about it, but for now she's just interested in Issei.

OsteoPoro: He will have his suspicions but since he couldn't feel Ddraig inside him, he will think it's another Dragon. Until the official match no one will know a thing, that's the general idea. But who knows maybe that will change, after all when I write things, compared to my brainstorm they tend to change. Sometimes I get a major headache thanks to this.

Gammagyro: The blonde girl from Sairaorg's Peerage, is just that an extra. I won't place her as a Harem member.

His relationships with everyone else, will be professional in the sense that his emotions won't interfere during a talk, he will see them as people he knows and once was close with, but he won't be an enemy, just distant.

The Full Counters, I'll take your idea! Excellent thinking, having him reflect attacks that are currently equal or below him, of course I'll add my own mix into it.

The ideas of Ophis are also good! But I'll need time. First most is the team, next the others, after that the Games. At some moment of the future I'll have him meet Ophis.

About the Knights, no he won't. He still has a sense of morals, more or less. So to use the humans for something like that would be bad, plus Ddraig will stop him. Also the chance for that to succeed is at most 50%, so I won't risk it by going that way.

His team is already chosen, anything else aside from that, I will think about it. His Harem is in 'Building' process, but I want it to be somewhat small, too many girls, and things will get extremely complicated for me to write.

The leaders... They will act in a mature way, later on you'll undertand.

Subspecies... no info will be given. It will be a surprise.

Kendo girls, just extras I places to add more flavor to the story, nothing will happen with them, I believe...

The Juggernaut Drive, I'll change it in a sense, but I only have a basic idea of what it will be. I have only roughly sketched until the last team member, so I need time for that. He lost the Diabolos Dragon, his Aura is the 'replacement' for that, after all he fused the powers inside his body hereby making him lose that form. But he will have something similar to that, but as I said, I need time.

The Gate is only useful during a normal situation. Pinpointing a coordinate is nit simple, and during a battle it will take too much time for him to use it effectively. The Lightning attack, Day of Wrath, will later be added.

The 'Drill' is an ability I thought off, not everything needs to be 'copied'. I wanted to add something personally made but attacks like that will be rare. I needed something to fit the situation so after some thought, I came up with that.

About the Chapters, Sorry, finger slipped. I confused numbers I meant 281, really sorry about the mistake. Dumb tablet does what it pleases sometimes...

Also the songs... would you recommend me some? Up until now the ones you have said to me are really good. So would you please tell me some?

MaHoFX:Thank you!

Czechus: She WILL save him but for things to not go too fast I'll need time, but she will help him. The song is... weirdly enough, fitting. Didn't expect that.

Tanker 17: I'll make their boyfriends look really lame, but for that I need to wait until the tournament. For now I'll make them see how different compared to Issei they are. About the descendant of Julius Caesar, sorry but I won't make him a part of Ise's team. I already know who will they be, but maybe I could make it a part of another one's team and have them meet. Sounds fun to write!

Thanks For Reading and...

See you Later!


	9. Chapter 8 - First Move, My Turn!

Chapter 8

(Thoughts)

 _'Important Words'_

"Dialogue" -

 **Attacks, Boosted Gear**

[Good Old Ddraig]

{The Albion}

*Magic Circle Communication. Among Others*

 _Chanting!_

* * *

 **First Move, My Turn!**

* * *

 **—-A few days after leaving Romania—-**

* * *

 **.**

Nasuno is a beautiful place, located at the northern part of the center of Japan. Not a well-known province, but a beautiful place to pass by.

Yet in this discreet province of Japan, in the land where no civilization was found, deep inside the forest and at the top of a mountain; a beautiful, new-looking shrine could be seen. This shrine is actually where Ise and his team were staying at since they returned from Romania.

Yet all the people inside the Shrine were already awake, and some were even training at this early time of the day.

 _*BAAAMM!*_

A small echo was heard from behind the Shrine. More specifically at the bottom part of the Shrine, at the base of the mountain.

Dense vegetation was everywhere so not much could be seen, but on an empty plane two figures were fighting, moving so fast that they created afterimages. They kept trading blows, not letting either of them get an advantage over the other.

The two figures were a male and a female, they looked focused on their training and were more or less fighting seriously.

 _*BAAAAMMMMMM...!*_

Another echo was heard, bigger than the last. The two figures just clashed fists, creating a shockwave from the collision and denting the earth beneath them.

The male looked rather tall, he had a cold look in his eyes and a small smirk on his face. He had deep-brown hair almost black and had a rather special gauntlet in his left arm.

The female, on the other hand, had pale-white hair and red eyes that were filled with eagerness and excitement, maybe because of the fight.

"Damn! Even with the Boosted Gear and the power I gained from fighting you, it's hard to defeat you!" - The male spoke with a frustrated voice, not letting his guard down at all.

"Ha! You think that only because you got that you could defeat me?" - The teasing voice of the woman was heard.

The man shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. - "Well Ericia, I thought I could have a better chance." - Seeing this, the woman rolled her eyes.

"Although you gained the Boosted Gear and that annoying ability of yours. I must say that since at that time I was just released from the seal, all of my strength hadn't come back!" - She explained as she placed her hands on her hips, but to Issei, it sounded like an excuse.

"Yes, I know that. But in the end, you still lost." - He smirked at his comment.

"Hmph." - She just turned her head around and ignored him.

[HaHaHaHa! You truly know how to choose them Partner!] - The Dragon inside the Boosted Gear talked inside his head.

(Don't start with that again Ddraig!)

Ever since they came back, the Dragon kept teasing him about both Fuuki and Ericia. He couldn't deny that they were beautiful, but after what he went through because of some women, he left relationships and anything in between, aside.

(They are my friends and nothing you say will change that!)

[Friends? Keep telling yourself that...] - He replied in a low voice.

The woman, seeing the opening in his guard, sprinted right at him not letting the chance go.

Issei was too late to react and received the full end of the blow.

 _*BBAAANNNGGG...!*_

Issei was sent flying through the trees, destroying a solid dozen of them. He then crashed against the ground and made a big crater inside the forest.

"Shit! Let my guard down! Now the combo is broken!" - He screamed and cursed at the same time.

[You shouldn't have let your guard down.]

(If you wouldn't have distracted me, none of this would have happened!)

Ever since Ddraig came back, things have been like this. They talked much more among them, but sometimes things like this would happen.

When the Dragon first came back they kept talking for hours, putting all of their plans into a more... solid state. Issei also explained his abilities in detail and fought a few rounds against both Fuuki and Ericia, to prove him how strong he was.

The Dragon was shocked, not that he would tell him, his Aura was really absurd! And after all the abilities he listed, Ddraig reached a conclusion about his Aura.

It seemed that as long as he had a concrete idea on how an ability worked and how it could be made, and as long as it wasn't on a conceptual level, then he could more or less create it. That was his rough guess.

However, if the ability was too strong, then it would be a waste of time.

He couldn't create an endless supply of energy, nor an attack that could destroy everything to a molecular level, neither a blow that could alter cause and effect, that was impossible. After all, attacks like that were on the level of Gods, and the Dragon himself only got those type of abilities really late in his life. Not a single shortcut existed for creating that kind of abilities, only time, experience, and a lot of patience.

And for now, nothing has reached the level of an ability like his Boost, Transfer or Penetrate.

The closest one was his most recent ability, a rather decent power—at least in the Dragon's eyes—and if used properly, it was really strong. Not that the rest of his abilities were weak, but rather that they hadn't reached the level they could pose a serious threat to a strong being.

But he was growing, and really fast, that made the Dragon happy and proud.

"Haaa... Seems like with this the training ended."

He stood up from the crater and dusted his clothes. Then he walked towards the base of the mountain, Ericia was standing there, a mocking grin plastered across her face.

"This is enough Ericia, let's get inside. We still haven't finished explaining everything that happened after the 200 years you were sealed." - He talked her out of the fight.

She felt discouraged by that, but she understood and visibly relaxed.

"A pity. But that ability of yours is serious trouble to anyone." - Her eyes narrowed at the comment. - "And if you reach a high enough combo, then it would pose a threat to pretty much everyone."

She talked to him as she walked by his side, planning to walk all the way to the top of the mountain.

"Yeah, but the problem is the time I have to land another blow."

His new ability was really strong, but like everything, it had its weaknesses.

After their fight in Romania, he trained with the beauty to increase pretty much all of his physical aspects, and after some days, he managed to improve. Now he had better martial arts according to both Ddraig and Ericia and even his stamina shot up by a decent margin.

"How long is that?" - Ericia asked.

"Around three to four seconds, quite the short gap. During a fight not many openings can be found, so it's rather... complicated to use." - He replied as he looked at her in the eye.

His new ability consisted of a series of combination strikes.

Every time he landed a hit while the ability was active, the next blow would increase in 200,000 pounds of force, give or take a few. A lot of power was packed into a punch, but to a really strong enemy in the physical ambit — like Ericia —to plant a threat he needed to reach at least a 20 hit combo, something that was _not_ easy.

On the other hand, for someone with a ridiculous defence he needed to increase the combo to 30 hits.

Until now he has only reached 32 hits against Ericia, after that, she would put her everything into dodging the next blow. And once his combo was broken, he needed to start from the beginning.

A Strong ability, but really time-consuming and actually needed the right timing to use properly, but he wasn't complaining.

"But well, we slowly are getting even stronger, I can also say that I have improved." - She smiled at him clearly showing off.

Ever since leaving Romania, Issei got closer to the beauty to the point he could understand her without much verbal communication, much to the dismay of Fuuki.

He didn't understand how could something like this be possible without years of spending time together, and till this day, he still couldn't find an answer. So instead of smacking his brains in search of an answer, he left it as it is.

"Yeah, we need to increase our strength before the Game. Gods will participate, and I doubt even us three would plant a serious threat to a single one."

He was also excited about that part, but he knew that he would need to worry about that when the tournament starts.

"Let's get inside, there's something we need to do." - He had thought things through and decided what his next course of action should to be.

Ericia nodded her head, she knew that when they needed things to be done he would become serious, not joking nor complaining at all. She liked that about him, there was a moment for everything, and changing according to the situation was what true leaders and strong beings needed to do.

* * *

.

After a couple of minutes, the two of them—and Fuuki—were sitting inside a room. A classic-styled Japanese room with sliding doors, tatami mats and thin walls.

A table was at the center of the decent-sized room, a couple of cushions on the floor and couches were also inside. A lamp hung from the ceiling, big in size and just bright enough to perfectly illuminate the room.

Issei was sitting on a couch, both hands clasped together, while the other two were sitting at the complete opposite side of him.

"Well, since a few days ago, I have been thinking and I can no longer extend this moment." - He explained to them while leaning forward.

He looked into their eyes and said. - "We need to get the Tournament Pieces, and for that we need to go to... the Underworld." - He explained with a bitter look in his face.

Both knew why his face was like that, well, more or less.

After spending these days together, he would sometimes tell them about his adventures with the Peerage and how he got famous, managing to get a couple of laughs from both women.

But every time they asked; _'How he changed and why?' 'How he ended like this?'_ He would answer by saying that he got into an ' _Accident.'_

Seeing his face at that time, they decided to no longer ask about it. His face was devoid of any emotion, and the aura he held at that time was solemn, he obviously refused to say anything else. And they both agreed for him to keep it a secret since they saw that his reaction was so bad.

But Fuuki and Ericia felt intrigued by this reaction of him. He was normally blunt and honest with his words, and he always answered any question they had even if it involved his perverted past. But for him to completely ignore anything related to that ' _Accident_ ' proved to them that it was not something so simple.

Something else that intrigued them was how, because of his stories and the way—that according to Fuuki—others talked about him. His character was incredibly different from how others described him as.

He was serious, sharp and cold with strangers. But with them, he was teasing and warm. They didn't know the reason behind the change of personality, but whatever it was he wasn't comfortable to talk about it with them, at least not yet. But for such a drastic change to occur... it was really a mystery what brought it.

They heard his voice again, breaking them off their thoughts.

"The problem is that both Fuuki and I, since the little incident back at Kyoto, became rather... wanted." - He sighed at his words.

Ericia smirked as she remembered the story he told her about how he met the Fox.

"Yes, that was a funny story. HaHa!" - Issei glared at her with reproachful eyes. Ericia just smirked at him while crossing her arms underneath her chest.

Fuuki took a brief peek at those enormous mountains, comparing them to her own. Regretfully, she lost in that ambit, they were ridiculously big.

(Yeesh... Those are ridiculous. How big? H-cup? More? How can I compete with those knockers she has? It's not even funny to think abou—)

"I know that Vali reported the situation to the higher-ups."

Suddenly she heard the voice of Ise, breaking her mental math on the cup size. She then blushed a bit at her own thoughts.

"How much about it he told them? I don't know. Worse comes to worse we are now wanted by everyone of the Three Biblical Faction." - He ran a hand across his hair. - "And the Shinto Pantheon wants us even more..." - He sighed... again, it was becoming a habit.

He then crossed his arms behind his head and rested his entire body on the couch. His head tilted upward and staring at the ceiling.

"That's why we need to be cautious!~" - Fuuki talked to him while trying to calm him down. Mentally patting her back at how nobody caught her blush.

"She's right. Whatever happens, happens." - Ericia nodded her head and shrugged her shoulders.

Issei ignored the easy-going Fox and the hedonistic Vampire, he was too summed up in his own thoughts to sigh at their antics.

Breathing in, he turned his head back at them. - "Anyway, we need to go to the Underworld, that's a must. But while doing it, we need to keep our heads low. I really, _really_ don't want anymore reasons for people to look for us."

He was serious about this, being found out would prove troublesome.

"Sure, Issei!~ Don't worry!" - Fuuki nodded her head energetically, ignoring his comment.

(It's because I'm with you that I worry...) - He thought as Ddraig agreed with him.

Fuuki mistook his silence as approval, so she stood up from the couch and lifted a hand up in the air. - "Then, let's go!~"

The cheerful and carefree air she created made Issei sigh in defeat while Ericia just tilted her head to the side, greatly amused by this outcome.

Issei massaged the bridge of his nose as he began thinking. - (We need to leave, and as long as we don't gather much attention we should be fine.)

Soon he accepted his fate. - "Then let's go, maybe if we have time we could see the Underworld a little."

Although he wasn't fond of the place, he had to admit that it was extremely beautiful in his own right.

Both beauties were excited, neither of them has ever stepped a foot in the Underworld so this experience was something they were expecting a lot from.

"Any objections with the plan?"

Both shook their heads, but before he could say something an excited Fuuki used the Yasakani-No-Magatama and created the portal to the Underworld.

"Ise! Let's go!~ This will be... _fun._ "

Issei sweat-dropped, her voice was too flirty for his own good but soon he gave up and started to walk towards the portal.

The beauties waited for him to get in front of them, maybe as a sign of him being the leader.

After he reached their side, he changed his exasperated expression to his usual cold and sharp look. He turned to look at both of them, nodded his head, and walked into the portal.

As soon as he crossed the portal, the other two did the same. Excitement was present in the eyes of Fuuki, while curiosity and expectation were on Ericia's.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Underworld / Location Unknown.—-**

* * *

 **.**

...

...

...

...

"...Where did you bring us this time, Fuuki." - With an accusatory glare and voice, he turned his head to look at the beauty.

The mentioned one only blinked her eyes and smirked.

(That smile... that's not good...) - Issei narrowed his eyes.

"Yeaaah... About that...~" - She placed a finger on her chin, trying her best to act cute.

" _Fuuki_." - His voice was a tone deeper.

Hearing _that_ tone, she knew Ise was angered so she quickly answered his question. - "I brought us to a Capital of the Underworld!" - She confessed.

Issei looked at his surroundings, then he looked back at her with a dead look in his eyes.

"Well... At least close to it!~" - She said as her hand went to the back of her head. - "Buuut~ since I didn't want to appear in the middle of a populated street, I set the location to be near a Capital!~"

Issei looked into her eyes, he soon sighed and accepted her explanation.

Fuuki felt she just dodged the bullet, an angry Issei is someone you _do_ _not_ want to mess with.

"Fine! I'll believe you, I really don't think you would have done it on purpose anyway." - He turned around and started to look for their other comrade.

Fuuki paled as he said that, but due to him turning around he couldn't see her face.

Ericia, on the other hand, was standing in the middle of the road, pretty much in the middle of nowhere. She was looking around curiously.

As Ise looked at her back, he said. - "Ericia, we need to start moving. As we walk, we can see the scenery of the Underworld. Let's start the journey." - He ordered to the Vampire who turned her head at him and nodded with a smirk.

The three of them started their journey once again.

Their location was desolate to say the least, the entire place looked similar to the human world, except for the purple sky above their heads.

They were in the middle of a wide road, maybe used as a commercial route by merchants. Aside of that, weird-looking flora and fauna were all over the place.

The ground looked dry as if hadn't rained in years, the yellow color was opaque and dead. The rocks were the same tone of yellow, but the small hills at the distance showed at least some life.

At the top of the hills, enormous trees were present. They reached pretty high up, and aside from their red leaves that seemed as if lit on flames, they looked not so different from a normal, tall tree. Alongside the road, some of the same trees were present, even small, similarly-coloured bushes were seen.

The animals they saw were small, not larger than a fist. They varied from lizard-looking things to bugs that were _really_ creepy, to birds ugly in appearance, but they ignored them all.

The three of them just walked side by side while watching the scenery, their goal was the large city on the horizon.

The city—they believed it to be a Capital—was surrounded by tall black walls and looked similar to a steel fortress.

Even some buildings overtook the height of the walls. Those buildings gave the impression of a modern-looking city in the human world, and one that was quite industrialized at that. The noises coming from the city were heard all the way here, it was as if they were having a Festival or something like that.

The three of them walked while messing around, teasing each other, mainly Issei but it didn't exactly... work. So instead, they were talking about some nonsense, Issei narrating a few of his adventures causing Ericia to bend over in laughter and Fuuki to look at him with rather... dangerous eyes.

Only after an hour did they finally reached the City.

A massive gate used in the military was in front of them, however not many soldiers were guarding it. Maybe after the war, everyone was getting more relaxed so not much security was present.

As they reached the gate of the city a pair of guards approached them, and before even looking properly at them, they screamed.

""Welcome to the Bael Territory! What is your purpose here?""

They sounded like professionals and their uniforms complemented their serious aura quite well, but their tones didn't sound sharp nor cold, rather welcoming if Issei had a say in it.

Issei took a step forward and replied. - "We came here to look for information about the World Class Rating Game. Perhaps you might know something?"

Issei then took a look at their uniforms. Lifting an eyebrow at the... eccentricity of the design.

Both guards were dressed in a purple military suit that looked expensive and flamboyant. Rather than a uniform, it looked like the clothes used by the nobles in the Underworld.

They had thick, black leather belts on their waist, black boots with gold laces and a tilted purple cap, quite eye-catching in his opinion.

While Issei analyzed their get up, the men were surprised by the voice of the man. It sounded cold and sharp, managing to give the pair of Devils chills.

The first guard that calmed himself down was the older of the two. He had white hair that at some point was dark green.

"Then you can pass, many beings all over the world have gathered across the Underworld and like you, they also came because of the Game." - His voice was raspy, maybe due to his age.

"About the exact location. Well..." - He shook his head. - "I'm afraid I don't know, after all, we spend all day guarding the northern gate."

As Issei narrowed his eyes in contemplation, the younger soldier was instead looking at his companions. He stood slack-jawed at the sight of the women. He was frozen and dazed by their beauty.

(These are the two most beautiful women I have ever seen! Just how could they be so hot?! Are they nobles from other Pantheons or something like that?)

The pair of women in turn looked at him, and seeing the lustful light in his eyes and even the dumb grin on his face caused them to glared at him with extreme sharpness and killing intent.

"Tch!" - Ericia audibly clicked her tongue, making the younger guard tremble.

(Who do you think you are to look at me like that, huh?! Trash! Be grateful that I'm in a good mood, I have killed for far less!) - Ericia thought as Issei gave her a brief look. Obviously asking her to not kill him.

Ever since being with Issei she never experienced such a perverted look on someone's eyes. Not that Ise didn't look at her, but rather that when he looked at her, it was similar to appreciating a piece of art; like a beautiful sculpture, something she did like.

Fuuki was of course... _different_. Her cheerful and flirty demeanor was gone, replaced by cold and disgusted expression.

(You disgusting, pathetic, shit-stain of a Devil! The only man that can look at me in a lustful way is Ise! And Ise alone! He's the only one that's allowed to even _think_ of me in a lascivious way! You better turn your eyes away before I gladly remove them for you!)

That change in her personality was how she acts to anyone that she wasn't close with... or was Issei.

She treated them in a cold and cautious way, sometimes Issei wondered if she had some kind of bipolar syndrome or something, but soon enough he stopped caring about it. After everything he went through with her, he trusted her with his life and how she treats others aside from the team didn't matter to him in the slightest.

Ise and the old guard witnessed the change in both women expressions.

Ise, as always, didn't care, but the guard was the opposite. Thanks to his many years of service, he didn't end up in the same way as the young guard, but now he was scared by the looks in both women's faces.

Issei interrupted his thoughts. - "Thanks for letting us pass old guard. I'll find the information inside the Capital."

Turning around and looking at them, Issei said - "Ericia, Fuuki let's go. We have things to do. Don't waste your time with _someone_ like that."

His cold voice managed to get the women out of their thoughts before they did something to the young guard. Issei then crossed the gate, Ericia and Fuuki followed after him.

Once they went past the gate and out of their sight, the old guard reprimanded the young one.

"Ozallon! Don't ever look like that again!" - He was furious. - "If it wasn't because the young man noticed the looks in their eyes, you would now be a corpse!"

Ozallon, ashamed, lowered his head. - "Sorry about that, Argureth..."

"However, they were the most beautiful women I've ever seen! So it isn't my wasn't my fault I looked at them like that! Even the rest of the squad back there still have stupefied looks on their faces!" - He tried to excuse himself while pointing at the squad near the gate.

"I know." - He agreed with his words. - "But you need to be professional in these types of situations, if not your head will roll!"

Although the old guard was also dazed by their looks, he knew how to hide it. That was thanks to experience more than anything.

"The Devil Noblewomen are also beautiful, but you need to be respectful!" - Argureth reminded him.

"Pfft! Argureth, no Noblewomen could be that beautiful. I've seen even the Gremory heiress, but she wasn't able to daze me even half as much as they did!"

The old guard was silent at those words, even for him, they were the most beautiful women he ever laid eyes upon.

"The luck of that man is ridiculous!" - Ozallon screamed, envy in his voice. He even managed to get the silence of the old guard and the nods from the rest of the squad.

"That's true, the luck he has is certainly not normal..." - With those words, Argureth returned to his former position, thinking about the three new guests in the city.

* * *

.

On the other side of the gate, both Fuuki and Ericia were furious.

"How could that piece of trash look at us in that way!? Damn, wish I could just kill him!" - Ericia spoke as she gritted her teeth.

Fuuki only nodded her head, a cold look still written all over her face.

"Ericia, Fuuki. You can't blame him, after all, you're by far the most beautiful women _I_ have seen. So in a sense, I can understand why he was so dazed." - His voice sounded warm and sharp. Yet his comment managed to get an unexpected response, at least in his eyes.

Fuuki was bright red, she was covering her face with her hands but the smile she had couldn't be hidden.

Ericia turned her head away, a slight blush in her cheeks and even her eyes held a bit of surprise.

The both of them didn't respond to his comment and only after walking for a few more minutes inside the city in awkward silence, did they spoke again.

"Ise. Where are we going to find the information about the Pieces?" - Ericia was the first one to speak, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"About that..." - He sounded unsure. - "Let's first search for a decent location that's not filled with people."

While walking, they noticed how everything in the city was filled to the brim.

All types of creatures walked on the main road. Fallen Angels, Yōkai, Humans, Norse and Greek warriors, they even saw a couple of elves and Orcs. Giants that could be compared to in height with a couple of buildings were also inside the city.

Yet when they walked by, no one walked near them.

Like dividing a sea in half, the different creatures opened up to give way to them. Maybe because of the most beautiful women they have ever seen, or rather because of the aura they irradiated.

The female population got attracted by the man in the middle of both of them, maybe his cold aura or how he actually looked managed to catch their attention.

Some of them were, like the men, blushing slightly. For them, a powerful man was the best, and by the aura he emanated he was definitely not someone you should mess with.

Soon—like Ise thought—a courageous man with what he believed would be his team came close to them, or more specifically close to the pair of women.

"Hello, beauties." - The Devil's voice was sultry and filled with unconcealed lust. - "We are going to the ' _Gates of Hell'_ the most renowned bar here in the Bael territory. Please, come with us."

A blonde-haired Devil with two single horns coming out of his temples spoke to them with a frivolous attitude. Behind him were 5 other beings, three other Devils, a single Fallen Angel, and an Orc.

They looked extremely arrogant and the looks they were giving them were disgusting.

"What ya'say?" - The Fallen Angel asked them in an unpolished way. His tone rusty, like a detuned instrument.

The three of them ignored them and continued their walk, something the hooligans didn't take so well.

"Hey! We're talking to you!" - The Orc screamed at them, and with the three Devils they blocked their path.

Seeing this, Issei spoke in a cold tone. - "Move."

His eyes started to emit killing intent, but the ones in front didn't notice it.

"You? Little one, move before you get hurt!" - Mocking him, the Orc yelled.

"""HaHaHaHa!""" - The other three Devils laughed at him, but Issei's face never changed for a second.

The Fallen Angel and the leader approached from their backside, blocking the other way out.

Then the leader spoke to him. - "Listen now, _boy_." - His face hiding a condescending smirk.

"Leave now and we won't hurt you. Those beautiful women are too much for a kid like you to handle. So leave this to us, the professionals, we will make them experience a _great_ time!" - A lustful smile appeared in his face.

"Ya heard him' brat. Be a good little shit and scram!" - The Fallen Angel spread his wings, being in total six.

(Now I understand why the rest didn't do a thing to all of you.) - Issei thought.

It seemed that because they were decently strong, the rest of creatures here didn't mess with them.

"Listen, I don't want problems, so move." - Issei replied, his tone sharpening, but they were too oblivious to notice it.

"Little one. What can you do? Don't make me laugh!" - The Orc approached him, standing easily above four meters, yet Issei didn't even flinch.

"After we have our fun we will return them." - The leader spoke. - "Of course, if they are not broken." - He had a perverted grin in his face.

The girls were getting angrier by the second, but they took a discreet look into the eyes of Issei. Soon they felt chills run down their spines.

These people pissed Issei off! Now they are only living corpses.

"HaHaHa. Move little one!" - The Orc tried to push him, but he couldn't touch him with his hand.

"Hmm...?" - He tried to find out why he missed, soon he figured it out.

"AARGGH...! AAARGH...!"

Screams filled the entire road. Everyone looking at them inhaled a cold breath of air, but the women behind Issei just smirked at his deed.

The Orc kneeled on the ground. His entire hand alongside a part of his arm, _severed_.

Issei had his right hand covered in Darkness, holding a squished and severed Orc _limb_.

The members of the Devil's team widened their eyes.

"Don't say I didn't give you a chance." - Issei proclaimed in a cold voice that gave everyone chills except for the women behind him.

Ericia had a bloodthirsty grin on her face, while Fuuki was smiling in a way that seemed disturbing.

The Orc kept screaming, so Issei decided to end his misery.

Covering his whole hand in his Darkness he transformed it into a claw and soon, he swung it.

 _*Fooosh!*_

The kneeling Orc seized his movements. The upper part of his body... _gone_.

 _*Splaat!*_ \- His lifeless body fell to the ground, it echoed across the road.

(I warned you. But you decided to ignore my warning! And not only that, you dared to look at the both of them with those disgusting eyes and even think about doing something to them!)

Few were the times Ise was angered, and now was one of those times.

He turned around and looked at the three weak devils that were with the Orc. With a single move from his wrist, three spheres of his Darkness engulfed them, no screams, no pain, no nothing.

The leader and the Fallen went pale, not wasting another second they ran in opposite directions.

"No you won't." - His voice was like a whisper and soon, he disappeared from everyone's sight.

He reappeared in the sky, were the Fallen flew to.

Seeing him, the Fallen summoned a thick spear of light, thrusting it towards him. Issei just extended his hand, aiming towards the Fallen's throat.

The Fallen moved the spear, intending to pierce his hand. But Issei caught the spear and broke it, his hand continuing its path.

"Aaargh?!" - Issei grabbed him by the throat, squished, and threw him towards the ground. But...

 _*SHUNK..! SHUUNK! SHUUNK! SHUUNKK...! SHUUNK..!*_

Several black stakes came from the ground and impaled the Fallen, quickly ending his life.

The stakes then vanished like smoke, but the smirk in Ericia's face was there for all to see.

Everyone was shocked by that, but another sound was heard. And soon after, a yellow flash landed onto the crater where the body of the Fallen was in.

Everyone recognized the blonde-haired man from before, his whole body bleeding. His nose was broken and sunk in, a lot of his teeth were no longer in place.

Issei came down from the sky and positioned himself next to Ericia. Behind them, the culprit of the state of the man was in, calmly walked over.

Fuuki had a decent-sized mantle of Touki covering her entire self, blood all over her knuckles, but it wasn't her own.

"Now then disgusting trash, time to end this." - Her voice emotionless, but it didn't affect Issei or Ericia.

The man talked back at her while clinging to his consciousness.

"How?! How could you—"

"In your next life, be careful with who you mess with!" - While speaking those cold words, three magic circles in the shape of an hexagon appeared in front of her hand. They were white in color and had a light tone to them.

" _Sun Beam." -_ She muttered and the three circles lit up, a pillar of light was shot from them, completely eliminating the Devil. A single crater the size of a human was the only thing that remained of him.

Issei smirked and walked closer to a man that was watching everything, a normal-looking Devil.

"You, old man. Where do I register for the World Class Rating Game?"

The man blinked owlishly before inhaling a breath of cold air and recomposing himself... more or less.

"Ahh... W-Well, it's near the Bael Castle. T-The actual place is situated inside the castle-grounds, at one side of it. I-It's hard to miss!" - The man replied while giving Ise a forced smile.

Issei nodded at his words and turned around. He rose an eyebrow at the sight of the crowd leaving and acting all normal again. Like nothing ever happened.

(Hmm? They didn't care about it? Quite odd...) - He thought to himself as he saw everyone continue their paths.

[Partner, this should be rather normal.]

Issei tilted his head to the side, mentally asking Ddraig to continue.

[After all, with all the preparations for the Games, fights like this should be extremely common. Even if they end in death.] - The merciless words of Ddraig made him widen his eyes slightly.

It sounded logical. Not because peace was in sight does it mean everyone will stop being who they really are. Fights because of a difference in opinion start and sometimes, since the supernatural beings are really prideful about their power, even fiercer fights break out further ending in death.

(True, Ddraig. Sometimes I forget that although it looks like the human world, it definitely isn't...)

Issei cut his connection with his Partner and looked back at his companions.

"Well then, let's go. We need to get to the Bael Castle, maybe we can get all of this done rather quickly."

"Issei." - Ericia spoke to him.

"What's the matter?" - He asked curiously.

"Both of us want to go tour around the place to know more about it. So we'll leave, once you're done give us a call."

Seeing the point in her words—and knowing he couldn't do anything about it—he nodded his head. After all, he has already been in the Underworld for who knows how many times and for them, it was their first time so it was understandable.

"Okay, fine by me." - He shrugged his shoulders before looking into their eyes. - "But! _Don't_ make a mess, _don't_ gather attention, and _don't_ fight unless necessary. The last thing we need is for the Maou or another powerful Devil to find out about us."

"Don't worry!~ After we're done, we'll be back at your side!~" - The flirty tone of the Fox caused him to feel slightly worried about what would happen.

"Just... Don't make a mess... Please." - He gave up and turned to look at the castle, then he waved at them and continued his walk.

The women looked at him and soon they started to look around.

"Where do you want to go?~ I don't exactly know anything about the Underworld..." - The Fox asked in a cheerful tone.

"Let's just look around, maybe visit some tourist attractions or something like that. Issei didn't exactly give us a list of famous places to visit so we'll just gun it." - Ericia replied while Fuuki nodded.

They had nothing to do, so they decided to follow the biggest crowd. Maybe they knew where the interesting places in the Underworld were located at.

"Let's start!~" - Fuuki then dragged Ericia by the arm, causing said Vampire to sigh.

* * *

.

Meanwhile, Issei continued his journey across the populated road.

He saw the many different stores at the sides of the road, and soon they changed into buildings. Yet the number of supernatural entities didn't diminish much, and apparently they were all going to the same place.

Their destination; the Castle in the Distance. Even here he could see the purple-coloured castle with golden accents on it.

"I wonder... How will the Tournament be?" - He had a curious gleam in his eyes, one could tell he was excited.

[Indeed, Partner. I also feel interested in this, the first time in History they actually do something this, and on such a big scale!] - Ddraig was similar to his Partner, maybe now that the both of them were true Dragons they could understand each other better.

"But with these many participants, there should be some kind of filter. It would prove impossible for all of them to enter, and this is just one location."

[Maybe some kind of test to see if you're worthy of entering?] - The Dragon made his assumption.

"I'll bet my money on that Ddraig. And I'll even say that the test won't be so simple for the vast majority of the wannabe participants." - Ddraig hummed in agreement.

"But the question is... How will they do it? And who will exactly succeed?"

[We won't find out until we arrive Partner, so let's just wait. Better to face things head-on.]

Ise felt the same. Putting his hands in his coat pockets he walked while not losing the castle out of his sight.

After spending some minutes walking, he reached his destination.

The purple castle was right in front of them, but what caught his attention even more was the building right at its side.

It was a small but wide, modern-looking building exactly at the side of the castle. Its height around 5 floors perhaps a bit more, and like the castle, it was purple in color but the window frames were painted in gold.

All the participants gathered here walked to the castle entrance, quickly reaching the black steel gate of the construction complex.

A dozen or so Devils were on standby at the gate, organizing everything so that they could walk inside the Bael castle without a problem.

"Everyone, listen up! I want a single line! So get moving!" - A single Devil screamed at the whole lot of them. And right at the entrance of the gate, a single line was forming.

Everyone obeyed, they didn't want to mess with the Bael Clan since provoking them was like courting death.

Issei did the same as the rest, curiosity in his eyes. In front of him was a male elf, he had a comparable height to his own and as legends say, he was quite handsome. Behind him, a Norse warrior with an uncovered chest and crossed arms, he was patiently waiting for his turn. No one talked to one another, maybe they thought that everyone was beneath them or something like that.

Issei just kept his guard up, not letting anything distract him. After a couple of minutes, he crossed the gate and soon reached his goal, the building at the side of the castle.

"Okay, listen up! So to get rid of the riff-raff, we're going to make a test inside the building!" - Another Bael Clan member screamed at them.

"Form three lines! Us three will give you a plaque with a number on it. This will be your identification number! Don't lose it, understood?!"

Everyone nodded their heads and went to the three soldiers that handed out the plaques, each to their own hands.

Among them, there was a beautiful female soldier with long purple hair that reached above her waist. Her curves were well defined and the military uniform highlighted her body even more.

She had serious golden eyes and a stoic face. And each time someone tried to strike a conversation with her, she simply ignored them and humphed. Everyone that got ignored didn't push the matter and instead, with their plaque in hand, went inside the building.

(Hmm... It seems this line is longer than the rest.) - Issei absentmindedly went to a random line, but his bad luck acted again and it turned out to be the longest line.

After patiently waiting, it was his turn.

"Name." - The female soldier was in charge of the line.

"Ryuu." - He told her a fake name, just in case.

His name made her raise an eyebrow. But since many different beings came since the past couple of days, names repeated quite often, and he was one of the many she heard since really early in the morning.

The female never looked at him, and after engraving his name in Devil Letters behind the plaque, she extended her hand to him with the now finished plaque on top of it.

"Here, you're number 325. Inside the building others will explain more about the test in a lot more detail." - Receiving the round plaque that looked like a button, Issei stared at it.

Meanwhile, the moment the female gave him his plaque she touched his hand accidentally and felt all of her body tense up, as goosebumps started to erupt across her body. She widened her eyes at the sensation and turned her head up to look at him.

(Wha-?! What's this feeling?!) - She widened her eyes as she continued to stare at the man in front of her. - (T-This guy... Just who is he?! He has so much power it's not even funny!) - She committed into memory the image of the man.

He was tall, taller than her. Black pants and shirt, and a grey coat covering his shoulders. The eyes he had were frightening and his aura even more so. It was dark and heavy, as well as imposing. This was the first time since working at the Bael Castle that she met a man that emitted so much... power.

She kept staring at him, and soon Ise took notice of this and looked back at her.

"Thanks for the plaque." - He thanked her for a job well done and walked inside, ignoring the looks she gave him.

At the moment she heard his voice she blushed. Never had she heard a voice like that, it sounded sharp but also warm... quite odd. - (...Such a mysterious and dangerous guy...)

She kept staring at his back and at one moment she could have sworn that the silhouette of a black Dragon with eyes shining in purple stared back at her. That alone managed to scare her out of her wits.

(?! Who—No... What exactly are you!?) - She had many questions, but she couldn't leave her position.

Planning to ask her co-workers later on about the results of the man, she continued her work, her mind still on the mysterious man...

Issei walked past the main door of the building, an empty lobby was the first thing he saw. Nothing was here except for a single figure that was sitting at the stairs, resting his back against the wall with his eyes closed. He had a cigarette on his mouth and was constantly puffing smoke.

He was a young-looking man with light-red hair that was tied in a long ponytail that reached midway behind his back. He had keen, amethyst-coloured eyes that scared many of the present. He was tall like any Devil, maybe six foot five—around 1.95cm—but his aura was the most surprising thing about him.

(Hoh? Interesting... An Ultimate Class Devil will be the one that explains this to us?) - Issei felt even more intrigued than before.

[It seems someone of his caliber is needed to guard the examination.]

(Seems so, but dispatching someone of his class is not that simple. They seem to be taking the Tournament quite seriously.) - Issei kept staring at the guy sitting at the stairs.

Luckily, after less than an hour, the doors of the building were mechanically closed and the huge lobby was filled to the brim.

[Around 5000 or more supernatural beings are gathered here. I would have never thought to experience this in times of peace.]

(So many... And my guess is that there are even more waiting outside, and let's not mention the other parts of the Underworld. This is on a scale of its own.) - Issei thought, Ddraig also agreed with him.

Finishing his smoke and throwing it away, the man finally stood up and talked to everyone here.

"Okay... Listen everyone. This tower has exactly five floors, and at the top of it there's the location where you will get your Pieces as well as some other things." - His tone uncaring and lazy.

"On each floor an Ultimate Class will be guarding it." - His words shocked everyone. - "And to get to the next floor you need to pass their test." - He smiled in a condescending manner.

"In exactly one hour you need to reach the top. If you fail you can no longer participate in the Tournament!"

He explained to them while walking down to the first step of the staircase. Elevating his aura, a mantle of a sickening red covered his entire body. He slowly raised his hand and concentrated his aura. A huge wall blocked the entire staircase from top to bottom, leaving no gap at all.

"My test is simple." - He said while grabbing another cigarette. - "Cross the barrier." - He lit his cigarette and sat back down where he was before.

Everyone, the moment he sat down, ran towards the barrier!

"Aargghh?!"

But at the moment someone touched the ' _wall'_ they were set on fire. The Crimson flames were burning furiously and extinguished themselves just before killing their prey.

All were without words thanks to this. Their eyes going to the smoking bodies of the ones that were brave enough to touch the _'wall.'_

They soon heard a voice. - "Oh, right. I forgot to mention this, but the success rate of getting to the top is around 1%. Best of luck."

Those words were enough to break the spirit of the participants, but some still tried their best at crossing the ' _wall._ '

Issei witnessed all of this and thought. - (An hour? Seems I don't have time to mess around.)

He calmly started to walk towards the staircase with his hands still in his pockets.

Pretty much everyone was breathing heavily and had burns of their bodies. Others were cursing with quite the words, and the rest fainted due to pain.

Getting near the staircase, Issei just continued his walk and reached the wall.

Taking a hand out of his pocket he extended a single finger and touched the barrier, flames never appeared. Dragging his finger along the wall.

 _*Slaaash!*_

He made a cut on it, long enough for him to pass.

Everyone was looking at him as if he was a monster. They couldn't believe their eyes!

The Devil at the stairs looked at him with equally astounded eyes. A bead of sweat fell down his cheek as his eyes never left the man that casually broke his barrier with a single finger.

(This young man is different from the rest! To break a barrier of an Ultimate Class with such ease... What kind of monster is he?!)

Issei walked up the stairs while placing his hand back into his pocket. Everyone starred at him with ridiculous expressions, he just ignored them and disappeared from their eyes.

The barrier quickly fixed itself with a loud noise and was soon as good as new.

The rest of the competitors got excited due to this and tried to break the barrier with even more enthusiasm than before. Of course, failing even more than before.

...

On the second floor, a beautiful, blue-haired woman was standing at the beginning of the staircase. Her hands were behind her back and four pairs of pure-white wings twitched ever so slightly on her back.

Issei saw the woman and thought. - (An Angel? To think one is in the Underworld so nonchalantly...)

"Hmm..? Oh! The first competitor of the recent batch, quite fast! Come! Come!" - She smiled while waving both hands at him.

She was all smiles and nothing else, like any normal Angel. Her light-blue hair was cut short, and her pure white garments held not a single stain. She had a relaxed face and a tall but plain figure.

"Then competitor-san! My test is this." - She clapped both of her hands together. - "You just need to pass through me and reach the stairs behind me without me stopping or touching you! Simple and easy!"

"I... see." - Issei nodded, unsure of what to say.

"Good!" - She smirked and placed both hands behind her back. - "Then competitor-san, let's start!"

Issei just stood there, thinking before acting.

(What do you think Ddraig? Need to put some effort on it?)

Issei ever since coming to the Underworld he has been extremely cautious of not letting anyone discover his true identity. Thanks to his new looks, plus his new Aura, he was completely different from before. He even asked Ddraig to block any type of energy from the Boosted Gear just in case.

[Hmm...] - Ddraig hummed in thought. - [Try a little hard, she doesn't seem strong although she's an Ultimate Class. Besides, she looks overconfident. Let's put her down a peg or two.]

Issei smirked and removed his hands from his pockets. He moved his body and changed his position to that of a sprint. Then, like a flash of black lightning... he disappeared.

The Angel was shocked! She just froze in place.

(His speed is ridiculous! What is he?!) - This time she raised her guard and looked around the floor. - (How is possible for a Monster like that to be here?! This is bad...)

 _*Fooosh...!*_

A small gale went past her. Issei reappearing right behind her, his entire back turned to face her. She quickly turned around and prepared herself for actual combat.

Issei started to walk up the stairs, not paying attention to the woman at all. The Angel just looked at him, sweat started to fall from her face as she went as pale as paper.

The back of the young man was the only thing she saw as he walked up the staircase. A back that seemed to be able to lift the entirety of Heaven and carry any type of burden without giving in.

She watched him as he walked all the way up. After he was gone, she released a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

"Who is he? No... What is he? For someone like that to be an unknown... His power, just by his speed alone is above an Ultimate Class!"

Her words echoed all over the empty floor, however, they will forever be unanswered.

(That was easy.)

[Don't get arrogant, she let her guard down. Plus she needed to contain herself in order for the test to be passable.]

The words of the Dragon made him nod his head unwillingly - "...I-Indeed." - Issei had to give it to Ddraig.

...

He quickly reached the third floor. Another beautiful woman was guarding the place.

She had long black hair tied into a ponytail as some bangs covered her face and her entire forehead. Light-coloured blue eyes and a challenging smirk on her face.

She wore a red dress that was form-fitting and her neckline was free for everyone to see. Some parts of her dress were purple in color and she had white, knee-length, leather boots.

In her hand was a normal katana, with a golden tsuba and a red handle. She was standing in the middle of the floor while both of her hands rested on the pommel of her sword.

She then turned to look at him and smiled - "Welcome! First competitor!" - Her voice loud and filled with energy.

"This is the floor I guard! As you can see I'm a Human, but I also am part of the house of ' _Seishuuin.'_ " - She twirled the sword around and placed it on her hips.

"My swordsmanship is astounding as is my magic! And even though I'm a pure human, I wouldn't lose at all to the guards below!" - She seemed extremely proud of those words.

(O-Okay...) - Issei felt brief shock at the enthusiasm of the Human.

[Ha! Interesting woman.] - Ddraig, on the other hand, was curious about her, maybe because a human was here as a guard.

"My test is to see if you can land a blow of decent strength on me!" - Her words echoed around the floor and a smile was on her face, even her eyes twinkled like stars.

(This woman smiles too much...) - Issei thought as the woman's posture changed to an Iaido stance.

"Then! Let the test begin!".

Leaving his other thoughts aside, Issei assumed that the woman had similar strength to the one below. He coated his hand in Darkness, forming a claw. Then, he sped-up towards her, denting the floor underneath.

The woman was astounded by the weird substance that covered his arm. But before anything else, she instinctively used all of her strength to unsheathe her sword at a speed that wasn't perceived by the naked eye and covered her left flank with it.

 _*CLAAANNNGG...!*_

The blade made contact with some kind of oversized claw and was soon repealed by the force behind the blow.

The Guard was sent flying, the swing from her blade wasn't enough to stop the blow.

She was sent flying almost all the way to the end of the room. But mid-flight she started to spin, reducing her momentum. Once she fell to the ground, she stabbed her sword on the ground further reducing her speed.

 _*SLAAASSHH...!*_

A long gash appeared on the reinforced stone floor.

The woman had a knee on the ground, her right hand held handle of her sword while the other covered her left flank. Her dress was broken at her flank, and a bruise could be seen on her abdomen.

(That was dangerous, it almost cost me... a lot.) - Cleaning the blood off the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, she stood up. - (If I didn't counter and instead blocked then...)

She felt how, even when trying to counter-attack, the strength behind that punch did some bad damage to her ribs.

She began thinking, trying to come up with a strategy to fight against him. But Issei just dissipated his Darkness, going back to normal, confusing the swordswoman a bit.

"Was that enough?" - Issei asked as he crossed his arms.

Hearing his voice she was surprised. She completely forgot about the test!

"Yeah, that... That was enough." - She smiled while covering her flank from him, an instinctual reaction from her.

Not wasting a second, Issei slowly walked past her and reached the staircase behind.

The woman never took her eyes off him, especially when he walked by her side. She completely focused on him and was prepared to use another Iaido slash.

(Just who are you?) - She thought while seeing him walk up the stairs. - (You look so young, but you have that much strength...)

Her flank hurt, even if she managed to " _block_ " the blow, the bruise was still there slowly expanding in size. - (I believe that... That during the Game you will reach a really high level.)

...

Issei kept walking and reached the fourth floor.

A man was standing right at the middle of the room. He had light brown-colored hair in a buzz cut and silver eyes. Giving off the impression of a powerful warrior that has survived through a number of hellish battles.

He wore an ancient-looking, leather armor and brown sandals. He did not seem to possess a weapon.

The man turned to look at Issei and yelled with an emotionless but loud voice. - "I'm Layland! A warrior under Ares-sama! I'll be the one to test you, to see if you're worthy enough to participate in this Tournament!"

(Ooh..! A Greek warrior! And one serving the _'God of War.'_ )

[Now this has become even more interesting! It seems that all the Factions wish for the Tournament to be as perfect as it can be, whether with the participants or with the administrators. To think that after so many years they would work together to create something like this.] - Ddraig told Issei, who only nodded his head discreetly.

"My test is simple! You'll have to receive a blow from me." - The warrior said as he smacked his chest.

"If I see that you resisted it well enough to not die, nor faint, nor having anything broken, then you may pass! Prepare youself!" - The warrior quickly stood in a boxer stance.

"Once you're ready then speak!"

"I'm ready." - Issei told him as soon as he ended his words, crossing his arms underneath his chest.

"Keep in mind that you will only be able to take my test once. If you fail then... you will be kicked out!"

Issei didn't care about his threat and only nodded his head.

"I'm ready."

"Then don't blame me for your arrogance!"

The ground beneath the warrior was dented and he dashed in a straight line, creating a huge gash on the ground due to his speed.

As he appeared in front of Issei he cocked his fist back. And while turning his hips and stepping heavily on the ground, he released his straight jab.

The Dragon stood in place, his eyes clearly seeing every movement of the warrior. However, he decided to just follow him with his eyes and did nothing to counter the blow.

 _*BAAAAMMM...!*_

The punch made contact with Issei's left cheek, but only making Ise to turn his head slightly.

The warrior watched as all of this happen and for the first time in a long time, he was shocked! He felt how his blow didn't do much. It could barely be considered damage, not even a bruise would appear!

Issei turned his head back and with just that, he pushed the warrior's fist away almost making him lose his balance.

"Is that all?" - He asked the warrior.

Not provoked in the slightest, Layland fixed her stance and said. - "Congratulations, you passed my test! Go up and get the Pieces!"

Then, like nothing ever happened, he returned to the middle of the hall.

Issei shrugged his shoulders and walked up the stairs, he still had 25 minutes left.

[Don't make fun of them. Not everyone is a Dragon with his Aura awakened, plus having a Longinus.] - The words of Ddraig almost made him trip down the stairs.

(I know that!) - Issei replied. - (I'm too strong for them, but for the rest that I know off I'm just barely there. I still need to become even stronger!)

...

The last floor was also simple. Aside from the many people here and the weird machine in the center, it looked pretty much the same to the rest below. Of course, some couches, tables and desks at the sides of the walls were present as well.

"Oh..! The first one today!" - A scientist with rather thick glasses stood up from his chair and walked over to him.

"Congratulations on being the first one that succeeded today!"

[It seems that not many manage to reach this place. That 1% thing might not have been a bluff, Partner.] - Ddraig commented as Issei hummed in agreement.

Since it was early in the morning, around 10 AM, it was no surprise that he was the first. But the sole numbers that reach this place must be abysmally small. Even if the whole Underworld had these installations, not many would be in the official Game.

(My guess is that by being renowned or by being famous, it would get you to skip all of these tests and reach the last floor. So the ' _Normal_ ' candidates that reach here are quite small in number.)

[Indeed. Beings like the ones you have fought would already skipped all of this. A pity that's not possible for us.]

Issei dismissed the comment as the scientist started to explain.

"The machine over there was given to us by the Devils. It's a new technology that used the _'Reincarnation System'_ , the ' _System'_ in Heaven, the _'Tree of Life'_ of the Norse and many other things!" - He said as Issei nodded his head.

"Right now, we need you to form a sphere of magic as dense as you can make it and around the size of a bowling ball. The denser the energy the higher the possibilities of a Mutation Piece to appear! But many have tried and until now no one has gotten more than two Pieces... However! Even sets with a single Mutation Piece are extremely rare!"

"The Machine will create them according to what race you are. That way the creation of the Pieces will be fairer." - While raising a finger he continued his explanation. - "So let's say you're a Devil, the machine will quantify the power of your magic reserves and distribute it to the 15 pieces, the King excluded, and if you're extremely special inside of your own race, then a Mutation Piece might appear!"

The old man finished explaining and brought Ise in front of the nearly 5-meter tall machine.

It had many kinds of blinking lights, cristal tubes and other connections all around it. At the center, a small gate was seen, it had the shape of a circle and behind it another gate was present this time in the shape of a square.

"This is the input port, and this one the output port." - The man explained while he pointed at the circular and square gate in order.

"Let us begin. First; What race are you?" - The scientist started to ask questions as he grabbed a notepad resting on top of a small table at the side.

"Dragon."

This made everyone in the widen their eyes. It was the first time a Dragon reached this place!

"O-Okay... First hand me your plaque, we need to register this for our superiors." - Ise nodded his head and handed his plaque.

The old man placed the data on his notepad and continued his work.

"We need to fill in some basic questions, basic information for the inscription. It's going to be lengthy so please, bear with me." - Issei nodded again.

After a series of normal questions like; How old are you? Where do you come from? And some others, they reached the final question.

"What would your team name be?" - His question managed to spook Ise a little.

(Any ideas Ddraig?) - He had nothing, so he asked the Dragon.

[Hmm... How about something that explains what you wish to do? What do you wish to accomplish within the Tournament?] - Shocked by this, Issei responded inside his head.

(Wish to do?) - He remembered the reason why he wanted to enter the tournament. - (...To fight against strong opponents...)

[Then one that's related to that.]

(Really, just like that? It can't be that simple Ddraig!)

[Of course it could! I have one already.]

(Fine, let's hear it!)

[ _'Against The Gods!'_ ] - The Dragon told him. The name surprised Issei, but he liked it.

(...Against The Gods...) - He smirked at those words and agreed with the name.

"Then Doctor, my team's name is Against The Gods!"

The scientist was dumbfounded by the name he chose, but before long he wrote it down.

"Then let's start the process with the machine!" - He gave the notepad to someone nearby and pointed at the input port of the machine.

Issei understood what he meant and started his part of the work. He lifted his left arm and concentrated a huge amount of his Darkness.

A pitch-black sphere appeared on top of his hand scaring everyone present, reaching the diameter of a bowling ball. His Aura flooded the entire room, making some of the present pale-faced.

Issei concentrated as much as he could and then placed the sphere inside the circular gate. And like in a vacuum, it was sucked inside the machine.

After that, the machine lit up and started to make different sounds; cutting, folding, cracking, breaking, hitting. Pretty much any sound was heard.

After a minute passed the light died down and both, the scientist and Issei, went to the backside of the machine.

The gate opened while releasing some smoke...

A small black briefcase was present on the gate. It was small, not longer than an arm. It had a soft, black interior that was similar to silk. Inside the case fifteen, black, chess pieces were perfectly accommodated in the grooves of the fabric.

"So these are my pieces..." - Issei muttered to himself as he ran his finger across the surface of the Pieces, sparks coming out of a few of them.

The scientist was shocked when he saw a certain phenomenon on three Pieces. - (S-Something like this?! I-It should be i-impossible!)

Issei then looked at three of his Pieces. Different from the rest these had a red tinge on them and were glowing with an even brighter light than the others. These three Pieces were definitely set apart from the rest.

"Hoh?" - Issei was amused by this. - "Are those..." - He said while grabbing a piece.

"Ridiculous! Impossible! How could this?!" - After screaming himself horse and almost pulling all of his hair, the scientist managed to calm his unsteady mind.

He grabbed his beating heart through his lab-coat and inhaled. After that, he ran and grabbed Issei's shoulders trying to shake him but unable to.

"You're the first participant that has three Mutation Pieces in his set!" - His face red due to excitement. - "Not even the strongest figures in some Pantheons managed to do this! Amazing! Amazing! What are you?!"

Issei ignored him. - (It seems my team will be quite strong!)

Then, after the scientist stopped talking and screaming nonsense, he gave Issei a simple-looking smartphone.

Issei turned it on, however, he only saw a single app.

"...Azazel Cup..."

...

...

...

...

"...Don't tell me... that's the name of..."

"Smart! That's correct! That's the name of the Tournament!"

([How exactly did Azazel manage to convince the rest?!)] - The Dragons thought at the same time. But the voice of the scientist was heard again.

"Through the App, everything will be done! The first match will be posted two days before it officially starts, and any notification about the Tournament will be done through the App."

"For your own team. Inside the same App there's a scan button, push that and it will scan the person you wish to become part of your team. Once done it will tell you their worth in terms of Pieces." - Nodding at his words Issei waited fot the old man to catch his breath.

"To use a Piece, just place them in front of the candidate and say; ' _Would you (name of the person) become my (Piece) for this battle until victory is achieved?'._ When they agree, the Piece will sink into their chest and they will officially become part of your team!"

"I see..."

Issei understood the basics behind this and now he felt even more excited than before. He kept thinking as he looked at the two ' _Mutated Rooks_ ' and his unexpected ' _Mutated Queen'._

(No wonder the scientist was so shocked... Three extremely strong Pieces are Mutated.) - His thoughts continued. - (I wonder who will take these three Mutation Pieces?)

He felt extremely proud of this advantage, that way stronger beings could be part of his team easier.

"With this, you're officially part of the Tournament. Congratulations!"

"Than-?!"

But before Ise could say finish his words, he sensed something.

[It seems your Vampire is fighting someone.] - He ignored the comment of the Dragon.

He felt the aura of Ericia all the way here. Yet, he felt that she must have been the one that had done something. He knew it since her aura had a relaxed feeling to it, and not the sharp sensation he usually felt when fighting her.

(Fuck!) - He was pissed. - (I _told_ them to not gather attention! What's so complicated about that?!) - He knew that she must be showing off her strength to someone.

Deciding to intervene before it was too late, he summoned his **'** **Hell Gate'** and set the location to be where he sensed the increase in aura.

(It seems that we will need to leave the Underworld. That amount of aura can pretty much scare the living daylights out off an Ultimate Class! Such perfect timing, right when I have the Pieces on my hand... Did you do it on purpose, Ericia?)

Issei stored his Pieces, placed the phone in his coat pocket, and crossed the black gate in front of everyone.

"Well Ericia, let's see what you're up to." - Those were his last words before he vanished, leaving the group of scientists perplexed at what just happened.

* * *

 **—-An hour Earlier / Bael Territory / Location Unknown.—-**

* * *

 **.**

"It seems we're officially lost!~" - A carefree voice echoed across the dense forest.

"How exactly did we get lost?!" - Ericia screamed at the Fox, a tick visible on her face.

"Well... About that..." - The Fox scratched the back of her head, she somehow felt ashamed of this.

After deciding to follow the huge crowd of tourists, they didn't notice the path they chose. And after walking while looking at the stores, parks and other things, they ended up away from civilization... inside a Forest.

The location was beautiful at least. It had big apple trees, but different from the rest, the leaves were colored in purple.

"Where do we go now?~ I hope Issei doesn't find out about this... He will laugh at me for this!" - Fuuki bit her nails at her last comment.

But before someone answered her question, they turned to look at something far away. It was extremely quick but they definitely felt it.

"It seems there's someone here as well." - Ericia narrowed her eyes.

The Fox decided to use her Senjutsu. Many hexagons appeared around her, covering her surroundings. All of them were shining, releasing a mysterious light.

After some seconds, they vanished.

"Over there." - She pointed at the direction they felt something was at. - "Someone is behind the mountain. And that someone is strong. Quite the Life Force it has..." - Her carefree expression gone from her face.

"I see... If you say that, then whoever it is, it should be no pushover." - Ericia turned her head and looked at the mountain. - "And in that case, let's go and see who it is! It would be impolite if we are in someones' property and we don't go and say hello."

Ericia was happy but the smile on her face made Fuuki nervous. This didn't sound good.

While turning their backs around they started to walk in the direction Fuuki pointed at. They were quiet, silently following the now obvious presence.

(That aura... such purity and density. What could it—?!) - Fuuki widened her eyes as she sensed something familiar. - (It's Tōuki! What's a user of Tōuki doing here? Wait! Could it be... a Devil? a Devil with Tōuki?! Why does that sound familiar?)

After a couple of seconds, they reached an empty plain with two creatures training.

One being a normal male with a buffed appearance and short hair. As for the other, well, it was more... unique.

(Hoh? This is definitely interesting.) - Ericia thought as she looked at the male in question.

Fuuki instead looked at the companion of the male. - (A Golden... Lion?)

She did remember how Ise explained to her about someone with that kind of companion. But she was too distracted by his handsome face, cool look in his eyes and his calming but powerful aura. So she didn't pay attention to the name of the person at all.

She turned her head around and looked at the Vampire, discovering a hungry, battle-thirsty smile across her face. She knew how this will end up.

(Oh no. Issei will be pissed about this, I know it. Damn!)

The Lion rose from his sitting position and looked at his master. - "Master Sairaorg! We're not alone!"

He ran at the side of the youth who in response to his words, stopped his training.

"Where Regulus?" - He lifted his guard and started to look at his surroundings.

The male was extremely tall, around 1.97cm in height or around 6 foot 5. He had shortly-trimmed, spiky black hair and piercing violet eyes. His face was sharp but not intimidating, and the light in his eyes showed an extremely tough will.

His body was similar to a bodybuilder, and he was wearing a short-sleeved, black shirt that was adjusted to his body. He had tight pants that although we're not form-fitting, they weren't wobbly. He also wore sport sneakers also in black.

Seeing the light in his eyes the pair of women that were still hiding thought about someone.

((Issei...))

That familiar light that says he will never give up managed to remind the pair of women about their leader.

"Come on out! Stop hiding!"

The women looked at each other and smiled—one of them did—then they started to walk out of their hiding spot.

 _*Step... Step... Step... Step...*_

The sound of footsteps was heard, and from behind a couple of trees two incredibly beautiful women appeared. But the aura they emitted was dense and heavy, definitely not friendly.

"Who are you! And what are you doing here!"

"Oh? Well, about that—"

"We accidentally got lost and reached this place. Hearing something in the distance we came here to take a look." - Fuuki spoke for the both of them. Her voice cold and direct.

Ericia, on the other hand, ignored her words. She was looking at him with her eyes shining ominously.

"Lost? All the way here? To the Bael mountains?" - Sairaorg was cautious, their story didn't sound convincing.

(How could they be lost? That's impossible! This place is guarded by the Clan guards, and by the strength of their auras... They should have come here with a purpose in mind!) - He started to think.

(Well... when you put it that way it does seem that we are up to something. Okay, not a problem. I just need to calm this guy dow—)

"Not bad! You're right!" - Fuuki facepalmed. - "We're not here because we got lost, rather because of something else!" - Ericia sounded proud and arrogant.

Ericia spared a discrete glance at Fuuki and just with eye-contact alone, Fuuki understood.

(Oh... She wants to fight. And worse, I can't stop her. Well that's bad...)

Fuuki guessed that due to seeing his training Ericia got her interest piqued, so she wanted to fight him. Maybe doing that will calm her boredom.

The Fox kept quiet, she knew that when the Vampire was like this only Ise could stop her. But he was doing something important. Therefore, there's nothing she can do.

"I see. Trespassing the Bael territory is a great offense. Even more if you want to do _something_ here."

(Yep. Issei is going to strangle me. More problems for us, and with the Bael family... He's going to be _sooo_ pissed.)

"And in that case, what's your purpose? Assassination? Terrorism?" - Sairaorg covered himself in Tōuki.

Ericia smiled. - "Sorry, that's none of your business. If you want to know, then defeat us!"

Ericia inadvertently released her aura...

 _*BOOOOMMMMM...!*_

A bloody-red pillar reached the clouds and pierced the purple heavens!

But before long, it disappeared as if it was never there. - (Oops... I don't want anyone to notice this. If Issei discovers this then... he will be really pissed!) - Retrieving her aura, she looked at the male in question.

"Master Sairaorg, that woman is abnormal!" - The Lion told his master.

"I know Regulus! But we need to know why are they here. Now that peace has been achieved we can't let anyone threaten it!" - Sairaorg fixed his boxing stance and surrounded himself in Tōuki.

"Be prepared! If it's necessary, I'll call you Regulus!" - He then looked at the black-haired woman at her side who clearly held no intentions of fighting.

"Finally! That's more like it!" - Ericia screamed and stepped forward.

Like a flash of lightning she appeared in front of Sairaorg and punched. He crossed his arms and received the impact.

 _*BAAAAAAMMMMMM...!*_

He was sent flying across the ground, his legs leaving marks across the ground.

(What power! Her Physical Strength... It's definitely equal to my own!) - He shook his arms slightly, trying to get rid of the numbness he felt.

"What an incredible force!" - He complemented the woman.

"You're not too shabby yourself." - She replied. - " 'Till today, you're the second person that has received a normal blow from me without any broken limb."

Ericia was excited! Until now only Issei was capable of receiving a blow from her.

"Second?" - Now Sairaorg was curious. Someone else actually managed to receive a hit from her without much trouble?

"Who is he? If such person exists, I would definitely like to fight against him!"

"Sorry, can't say. Boss wouldn't be happy if I did. He's easily angered when we give information."

Sairaorg hid his disappointment and increased his Tōuki. He then disappeared from plain sight, only leaving a crater on the ground.

Ericia saw his movement, so she calmly lifted her left arm to block.

His fist came from the left, aiming at her face without a shred of mercy.

 _*BAAAAMMMMMM...!*_

A crater was formed when she blocked his blow.

Sairaorg was amazed, although his blow wasn't with his entire strength it would still drop an Ultimate Class to his knees!

"Fight seriously, _Devil_. If not, then you may _die_." - Thorns were all over her words and her eyes were serious.

Seeing those eyes, Sairaorg instinctively took his distance. Stepping back he went to his former position.

(If I don't fight seriously then I could really die!) - Her voice proved that to him, so he took her threat to heart.

"HAAAA!" - He screamed and increased his Tōuki to the maximum!

 _*CRAAACCK..!*_

A yellow aura covered his body from head to toe and made a crater on the ground. Gales formed from the increase in pressure and the trees around them began creaking. On the yellow outline of his Tōuki, a purple highlight could be seen.

(The Roots of Life!) - Seeing the purple-tinged Tōuki, Fuuki was shocked. - (Only the greatest beings that reach the limits of Life Force could have a purple Tōuki! And his is really close to that!)

"Stop playing and fight seriously!" - Fuuki yelled at Ericia who lifted a brow elegantly as a response. - "If not then you'll have a really bad time!"

Ericia took her warning to heart, she also felt that this Tōuki was different from the rest. - (No more playing it seems...)

Sairaorg took advantage of their talk and disappeared from her sight. His speed easily double of what it was before!

Astounded, Ericia could only grit her teeth and receive the blow.

 _*BAAAAAMMMMMM...!*_

Such attack shook the entire mountain and dented the earth!

Ericia took a step back from the impact. - "Not bad!" - She mouthed. Sairaorg only narrowed his eyes and took a small step back.

The woman had a small bruise of her cheek, even some blood fell from the corner of her mouth. But aside from that, not a single speck of dust was on her body.

Both Sairaorg and Regulus were frightened! That punch was with around 50% of his full strength, yet it did nothing!

However, it was not that it did nothing. Ericia at the moment of impact used all her power to boost her regeneration, only leaving her with small wounds. A trick she learned since training with Issei.

Cleaning the blood from her lips as she ran a hand through her mouth, she opted to use one of her abilities.

" ' _Deceased Dragon Portrait!' "_

Her shadow extended, and from it, a single black Halberd was slowly formed at her side. Grabbing it, she expertly twisted it around her body and with a single hand, she pointed at the Devil with it.

"Don't die so easily!" - She smirked and took a step forward.

 _*CRAACK..!*_

The moment she did, the earth fractured. Then, she vanished from her spot with pure physical speed.

Sairaorg had no words. She was a Monster! His instincts screamed to dodge, so he listened to them.

The next thing he heard was the sound of wind being cut through by something.

Ericia just did a diagonal slash, but Sairaorg moved his entire back towards the ground while his legs were still planted against it. He looked like a gymnast with that kind of flexibility.

The Devil moved his body back and then placed a hand onto the ground to use it as support, like a handstand. Then, with the same hand, he impulsed himself and jumped.

Ericia saw this and decided to do an honest to God, downwards slash.

 _*SLAAAASHHH...!*_

The same sound he heard before happened again, but three times as loud.

This time, while being in the sky, he saw two straight lines ran across the floor. One looking deeper and narrower than the other.

(Without touching it directly she... she managed to cut the floor?!) - Now, that was really frightening.

Falling down to the ground he landed perfectly. The woman just tapped her Halberd against her shoulder, a condescending smile spread throughout her face.

Sairaorg then felt something wet and sticky on his chest.

"Ha! Got you in one." - She said while tapping her weapon.

Sairaorg looked downwards and inhaled a breath of cold air.

(When did she?!) - A long gash was on his chest, it wasn't that deep but it was bleeding continuously. It would definitely leave a mark.

"The moment after my first swing I did another twice as fast in the opposite direction. The first was a smokescreen for the next, the third was to distract even further." - She mentioned as she played with the Halberd.

"But that Tōuki of yours is really tough." - She moved her weapon to her side and pointed at him. - "Even when I put quite the effort in my blow, it dispersed the majority of the force. Quite lucky, if it was anyone else then they would have been cleaved in half."

Those words made him feels chills. - (I can't fight if she has her Halberd! Far too dangerous! As long as I get rid of it, at that moment of opportunity, I can land a blow!)

He had a plan, his calm expression never left his face but a small smile was forming at the corner of his lips. Using his full physical strength, he sprinted forward.

Seeing him come in a straight line the beauty prepared her weapon to slash at him.

Once he reached her range she spun the Halberd to gain momentum, with her Halberd high up she did a fierce downwards slash.

Predicting this movement Sairaorg abruptly stopped his charge, he calculated perfectly.

 _*SWIIISSHHH...!*_

The Halberd passed millimeters away from his nose, and thanks to his Tōuki he withstood the aftershock from it.

Ericia opened her eyes, a bit surprised. But then, she smirked.

Sairaorg gathered a lot of Purple-tinged Tōuki in his right hand and aimed to unleash a punch! But before anything else, something happened...

 _*SHUNK..! SHUCK...! SHUNCK! SHUNCK! SHUNCK...!*_

Five stabbing sounds were heard. - "Not a bad plan, but not good enough." - She smirked arrogantly.

Sairaorg had just been abruptly stopped by five black stakes that came from the ground!

Ericia knew that his Tōuki was good in defense, so she increased the density of her shadows and formed five stakes to impale him with. Simple plan, Yes. But effective nonetheless.

"Blargh!"- The Devil vomited blood. Those stakes did real damage, even with his Tōuki.

"Master Sairaorg...!"

Regulus screamed, but Sairaorg still moved his battered body. Even with two stakes impaling his arm, another that made a hole through his left thigh and the other two in his abdomen, he moved.

 _*Crack!*_

The movement broke the stakes off the ground. - "As if something like this would stop MEEEEE...!"

His right fist was released with all the strength he could muster! A purple shockwave spread from his fist, vaporizing anything it touched!

Reaching the beauty as he screamed. Ericia just placed her left arm in front of her to, someway or another, reduce the damage.

 _*BBAAAAAAAAAMMMMM...! BOOOOMMMMM...!*_

She was sent flying across the plane. Crashing against some rock formations and turning them to powder!

Seeing her fly away he relaxed for a few seconds. - "Pant! Pant! Pant!" - He kneeled while breathing heavily, his wounds weren't light.

Regulus came to his side and used himself as support for him.

"Master Sairaorg, we need to heal those wounds!" - He screamed at his master who was taking the stakes out of his body.

"Later Regulus! We still have someone else to fight." - He looked at the black-haired beauty that watched all of this with her arms crossed.

"You don't worry about your companion?" - He asked as he straightened his back.

"Worry?"- She asked back. He only nodded his head. - "Why should I be worried? A hit like that won't do much to her."

At those words the Lion and the Master turned to look at the pile of rocks.

 _*BOOOOOMMMM...!*_

An explosion occurred and a pillar of bloody-red light appeared, blowing all the rocks away!

A single figure climbed from the pile of rocks. - "Now this is getting better! It seems you can do better if you try!"

Ericia had her entire left arm blown away. It was gone all the way to her shoulder, blood fell from mangled mess it was. Her right arm, instead, seemed to be broken since it was bruised and swollen.

"You can't fight like that. You should stay down."

"Hmm? With these scratches?" - She smirked as she activated her regeneration.

Her left arm visibly reconstructed itself with a gory sight. Her right arm did so as well, it was forcefully popped back into place.

Seeing this he was dumbfounded and a bit disgusted. Never has he seen a regeneration so powerful.

(So until now she was just toying with me!) - He soon reached the conclusion.

The woman jumped from the pile of rocks and landed on the ground.

(I need Regulus!) - He prepared to use his armor.

" _Oh my Lion, King of Nemea. You the King of all Lions! Answer my Howl and turn into my ARMMOOORRR..!"_

Regulus released bright, golden light and disappeared. Turning itself into a golden flash of light that went for Sairaorg.

 _*FLAAASSSHHH...!*_

An imposing golden armour was donned on Sairaorg. Bright gold fur came from his helmet who had its mask open. At the center of his chest, there was the figure of a Lion roaring, showing its place as the King of Beasts!

(So this is his Balance Breaker... I wonder how Ise's is?) - The Vampire thought to herself as she looked at the armor, narrowing her eyes. - (It seems that there's no more playing. I'll need to fight seriously.)

"ROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR...!"

A huge roar was heard all over the mountain and with that, Sairaorg sprinted towards the beauty.

Ericia replied with a battle-hungry smile and dashed at him, her fist cocked back ready to punch.

 _*BAAAAAAMMMMMM...!*_

They clashed fists.

Seeing that the beauty was fighting against him equally, he thought. - (So she really was toying with me!)

The beauty was satisfied as well. - (His strength is above Ise's... But he can't break anything if he keeps himself like this!)

In a match of strength the one who had the biggest fist will win. In her case, since her strength was slightly superior to his, the damage that she received from the clash of fists was minimal, even with her low-defense.

Even if he did land a good hit, she could focus her entire energy in regenerating herself. Hereby, healing all the damage immediately.

 _*BOOOM...! BOOOM..! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM...!*_

The continuous fist-fight shook the entire mountain.

Each blow would make a new crater on the ground. And if they dodged, the shockwaves would uproot trees.

The martial arts on both of them were quite solid. But Ericia, with her experience, had the upper hand.

Creating a faint by feigning a left-hook, she saw his left arm prepared to receive the impact. Stepping inside his guard in a brief show of speed, she hit him with her right elbow on his chest.

 _*CLAAANGGG...!*_

The sound of metal roaring was heard. Sairaorg retreated a couple of steps, the chest part of the armor was dented inwards and the force of the impact made him spit blood.

"Spit!" - Getting rid of the mouthful of blood he attacked with both fists, moving them at a speed that created after-images.

Ericia read his movements and before he punched her, she countered with a perfect turning kick aimed at his flank.

 _*CRAACK...!*_

The metal of the armor alongside some of his ribs were broken. Sairaorg was sent skidding across the ground, a grunt came off his mouth.

Stopping his momentum, he harshly stepped on the ground with his left leg. Using the same leg as support he swallowed the blood in his mouth and dashed towards Ericia.

As he reached her, he turned his hips, and using all of his muscles he unleashed a fierce turning-kick that caused a sonic boom.

The counter was quick, so Ericia could only move her left arm and sacrifice it.

 _*RIIIPP...!*_

Her entire arm was blown away, not a thing remained of it.

"Tch! Annoying!" - Clicking her tongue she was sent backwards due to the strength of the blow.

Focusing, she placed a foot behind her and used it as support as she turned her body around. Soon, she turned her body back around and with a great display of balance, unleashed a roundhouse kick with the talon of her armoured leg.

 _*BOOOOOOMMMMM...!*_

The sonic boom echoed all over the mountain. Dissipating the clouds above them.

Sairaorg was amazed and startled by her audacity to just ignore such a wound and counterattack. So he could only cross both arms and prepared himself for the impact.

 _*CRAAAACCCKKK...!*_

His gauntlets creaked as he received such an impact.

Ericia still took advantage of this. Seeing that the damage she did was heavy and seeing a light coming off his armour—trying to fix the broken pieces—she regenerated her arm and sprinted at him.

Sairaorg was still skidding across the ground, his head a bit messy. Regulus was already trying to fix the armour but the damage was big, it was taking time.

But the moment his vision came back and he saw the mysterious woman heal the damage of his kick and sprint towards him with a savage grin across her face, he went pale.

Ericia used her speed and cocked her leg back, as if she was kicking a football. She decided for a hit that could send his body upwards and kicked right with the tip of her foot for maximum impact.

Sairaorg crossed his arms in an _'X'_ shape and received the blow, his gauntlets still broken and battered.

 _*BAAAAANNNNNGGGGG...!*_

He felt both of his arms crack at the force of her leg.

(How strong is she?! Breaking my arms so easily even with my armour on?!) - He started to feel dizzy, maybe because of the blood loss.

That kick managed to lift him in the air for a couple of meters. Ericia smirked at this and jumped higher than him.

Once she reached the sufficient height she spun in a vertical way and after two front flips, she hit him with the heel of her greaves, right in the middle of his back.

 _*BBAAAAANNNNGGGG...!*_

The sound echoed all over the mountain range.

Fortunately for him, he compressed his purple-tinged Touki all over his back. Thanks to that, the Longinus Armor and his natural resilient body, nothing in his spine was broken but he was sent flying towards the ground...

 _*BOOOOMMMMM...!*_

A huge cloud of smoke filled the sky!

That blow actually broke Ericia's foot, but she healed the damage before she landed. - (What a strong defense! That armor and the Tōuki are no joke.)

For the first time, she was mildly surprised. That blow could have turned a couple of Top Tier Ultimate Classes into a bloody paste, yet he actually survived without anything broken!

(His training and the natural defense of his body is absolutely no joke.) - She watched as the cloud of smoke disappeared.

The Devil was trying to stand up, but the back part of his armor was destroyed. Pieces fell to the earth and a huge black bruise was seen on his back.

The rest of his body was also pretty bad. His chest armour had a hole the size of a fist thanks to her. And both of his gauntlets had cracks running across their surfaces. The only parts still intact were his greaves, but his left one had a big hole on its thigh.

Regulus tried to fix the armour but it took time, something he didn't have in the middle of combat against her.

"...Pant! ...Pant!"

His breath was heavy and his consciousness was also leaving him. His vision was blurry and blood came from his nose, mouth and ears.

(How powerful!) - He tried to steady his broken body. - (That kick would have broken my spine in fragments if I hadn't used my everything to block!)

(Master Sairaorg we need to use _that!_ ) - Regulus screamed inside his head

(Seems so... If we don't use that then we might really die!)

(Yes! We can control it thanks to your Tōuki, Master. But I don't know how long it will last!) - Regulus was anxious, _that_ power will be enough to defeat the woman in front of them but...

"We have no other choice! Let's use that!"

Then, from his broken armour a purple light started to appear from within. As if the rays of light were little fireflies. The particles of light scattered themselves around the plain and with a humming sound started to surround the armor.

"Something stronger?" - Ericia was interested. Seeing the serious face of the Devil she noticed that this was his last trump card.

"HaHaHaHaHa...!" - She laughed maniacally and screamed. - "You'll use your everything? Then I shall do so as well!"

A pillar of red light reached the Heavens, tainting the sky with a sickening red. The ground beneath her started to crack and her red eyes started to shine.

(Impossible!?) - He wanted to deny the sight in front of him. - (She still has something hidden?! What is she?!) - Sairaorg was amazed, he has never met anyone that completely defeated him in his own game, physical strength!

(The only one that has pushed me like this is Hyoudou Issei!) - He remembered his fight during the Rating Games, he wanted to fight against him once again but that needed to wait.

The red pillar of light increased in diameter and soon the earth started to tremble. Ericia remembered when she explained this ability to Ise.

* * *

 **—-Flashback.—-**

* * *

 **.**

"Hey, Ericia. About the last ability you used during our fight. What exactly is it?"

A man sitting at the bottom of the entrance steps of the Shrine in Nasuno asked the woman who was leaning against a pillar.

"That?" - She opened her eyes and looked at the man, he only nodded as a response. - "It's quite simple. See how I create weapons out of Shadows?"

The man looked at her and nodded his head once again.

"Well, some time ago I wondered what would happen if I inject my Shadows into my body, directly." - She answered as she looked at the starry sky.

"I first tried it with my arm." - She explained. - "It soon changed color and other things, but because it was my first time using it, the excessive amount of power managed to blow my entire arm off!"

"After some time, I regulated the density of Shadows going into my body. I did it to the point my own regeneration could heal my body as fast as I was using that power." - She walked near him and sat at his side.

"So it's like tha—"

"I'm not done." - He shut up and listened to her.

"Depending on the density of my own Shadows, my physical strength can shot up exponentially. Right now I can only handle four times my actual strength. More than that and my body will explode." - Her tone nervous, something rare on her.

"As my body grows accustomed to the density, I _can_ increase it. But for that to happen I need a lot of practice!" - It seemed that her power had drawbacks in a sense.

"So it works like that, huh..." - He smirked at the thought of figuring out how that annoying ability of hers worked.

"After that, I feel really exhausted and my body feels heavy. Even my regeneration slows down. So it could be considered a double-edged sword."

She turned to look at Issei while she talked. Seeing him put all of his attention to her words made her smirk with a bit of happiness.

"You know, I'm grateful that you made me part of your team." - She confessed. - "These short days have been by far the best in my life." - She sounded genuinely happy and her sincere smile surprised him.

"I'm also glad you joined my team. With you here, things have been much more fun and exciting."

He stood up from his sitting position and walked down the stairs.

"So it should be me that should thank you." - He told her while he turned his back around. - "So, Thank You, Ericia Draculea for making my life much better than it was before." - A rare smile appeared on his face as he turned to look at her over his shoulder.

At the sight, the Vampire widened her eyes. This was the first time she saw him smile. And in a sense, she liked his smile.

She looked at him and soon a weird feeling was on her chest. - (What is this?)

The warm feeling was lost as soon as he turned his head back. But of one thing she was sure, she really liked that feeling...

* * *

 **—-Flashback End.—-**

* * *

 **.**

After deciding to use her trump card, various seconds flew by as she remembered that moment with him.

" ' _Lord of-' "_

Her chant was stopped when she felt a rather familiar aura appear near her. - (Oh Shit! This is not good for me...)

She turned her head back and saw the only person she didn't want to see right now.

With eyes that said ' _You're Fucked._ ' Issei demanded. - "Explanation. And it better be a good one."

Issei appeared next to Fuuki, who right now had a red bump on her head. She was on her knees and was rubbing the swelling while sobbing, it seemed his punch really did hurt.

Issei then started to walk closer to her.

Sairaorg saw how she turned around—as if scared of something—and gave him her back.

(What happened? Why is she acting like that?)

He then felt a big aura nearby. It was dark and heavy, giving off a cold and sharp sensation, like a knife on his throat. That aura alone managed to make him feel goosebumps all over his body. Even his hair stood on end!

(What an ominous aura! What could possess such a heavy presence?)

He then saw a figure walking close to the woman. But because of his wounds and his blurry vision, he couldn't distinguish exactly who he was.

The figure talked with a sharp voice. - "Amuse me. _Please_. What is your explanation? I'm trembling with expectation."

He reached the woman and stood right in front of her, his look was dead serious.

"Yeah... Well, about that... It's quite the story..." - While scratching her cheek she turned her head away.

(I knew she didn't have a good excuse!)

[Told you.]

His brow was twitching, and faster than lightning he hit her right on her head creating a similar bump to Fuuki's.

"I told you to _not_ gather attention! And here you are! Messing with the strongest ' _Devil Youth_ ' and Heir of the House of Bael!"

Meanwhile, she was on her knees rubbing the bump on her head. - (Damn! He hits really hard when angry!) - The bump hurt much more than the best strike of the Devil, at least for her.

"I told you both! Again and aga—!?"

Not having enough time to scold her, Issei turned around and looked into the distance. - "We need to leave! Someone strong is coming!"

The Vampire soon felt the heavy aura flying at them at Mach speed.

Issei pulled the Vampire by her waist and moved close to Fuuki, who was still rubbing the bump on her head.

" **Hell Gate.** " - He muttered and the familiar vortex appeared behind them.

She let the Vampire go and prepared to leave.

"What's your name woman?!" - Sairaorg screamed as he tried to come closer, but his wounds and lost sense of balance made him stop on his tracks.

The woman turned around and smirked at him condescendingly. - "A loser won't know my name."

Then she turned around and like the other two, she stepped inside the portal. At the distance she could see a bright, red light coming towards this location.

"Let's fight again, Devil!" - Like that, she vanished.

Sairaorg was left alone, his wounds made him feel lightheaded. His body was wobbly and soon he dropped on a single knee, he couldn't feel anything.

(She really did a number on me...)

He, soon after, felt a hand on his shoulder and a familiar red-haired man was standing in front of him. He was accompanied by a silver-haired maid and a Japanese man with a sheathed katana at his side.

"Sairaorg-kun! What happened?!" - Seeing the state the young man was in, Sirzechs couldn't help but worry.

The maid quickly walked near him and kneeled. A magic circle appeared on her hand, starting to heal him. The Japanese man went to his other side to support his body.

"Sirzechs-sama..." - Sairaorg's voice sounded tired.

"Let's heal you up first!"

...

After some minutes he was sitting on top of a rock. The majority of his wounds were already healed, somewhat.

"Now Sairaorg-kun, what exactly happened?"

Sirzechs felt a huge aura all the way to his office in the Capitol Castle. Sensing that it was not friendly and filled with bloodlust, he summoned his Queen and Knight to accompany him in search of the origin of this aura.

"Well, it started like this..." - Sairaorg sighed in defeat and started his explanation.

* * *

 **—-20 minutes later.—-**

* * *

 **.**

The three adults had frowns on their faces.

"This is bad..." - Sirzechs muttered, the rest present nodded at his words.

(Someone that was capable of defeating Sairaorg with such ease and still have enough strength to make us feel it all the way to the Capitol... Whoever she is, she's not one to be messed with!)

Truth be told, in the beginning, he didn't believe his words. But seeing the light in his eyes, he knew that Sairaorg was telling the truth.

"And that's what happened." - He stood up from the rock, Regulus at his side.

"That woman, whoever she was, is not to be trifled with. I must admit that if we fought with everything I have to offer including the Breakdown the Beast, I'm only 70% sure of defeating her." - His words sounded heavy. And Sirzechs could only accept it.

"She's that strong and hasn't even reached 20 years old. I don't know how to call her, a Genius... or a Monster." - Sirzechs now had another trouble to deal with.

"Thanks for the information Sairaorg-sama, if anything related to her appears we will be sure to inform you." - The maid professionally answered.

"Thanks!"

His hearty smile managed to remind her about Issei. - (Ise-kun...) - Her thoughts once again drifted off.

Seeing this Sirzechs decided to leave. - "Sairaorg-kun we need to leave, anything else you want to say to us?"

"Yes. Aside from the woman accompanying her, another person appeared. He seems to be the Boss." - Sairaorg remembered the last moments right when the figure appeared.

"A man?" - Sirzechs was intrigued.

"Yes! I couldn't see him well enough, but that woman obeyed his orders without question's asked."

"So he should be stronger than the woman if she's willingly following him..." - He nodded at the words from the Maou.

"Something else, Crimson Satan." - The Lion talked to the Maou. - "I also couldn't distinguish his physical appearance, but I do know that he's a Dragon!"

Those words surprised the three adults even more.

"Thanks Regulus." - He gave his thanks to the lion, who in response nodded its huge head.

(A Dragon...) - Sirzechs remembered a certain Dragon of their own. - (We need to go back, the first report about Ise should already be done.)

"Take care Sairaorg!" - He activated his magic circle and in a flash of red light, he disappeared.

Sairaorg just stood there. - "Well Regulus, we now have an aim and a goal!" - He wanted to defeat that woman!

"Yes! Master Sairaorg!" - The Lion responded and followed his master who was leaving the mountain.

* * *

.

In the Capitol Castle a magic circle appeared in the middle of a conference room.

The current Lucifer came out of it.

"You arrived." - Azazel was sitting on a leather chair, his legs on the table. Aside from him, the other four Maou's and the Seraphs, Michael and Gabriel, were also here.

"Sorry, something happened." - He excused himself and sat on the empty chair at the side of the Maous. Grayfia stood by his side while his Knight, Okita Sōuji, bowed and left in another magic circle.

"Since all of us are here, let's start!" - Azazel told them.

Then Ajuka started the meeting. - "The start of the Games has been excellent, right now less than a hundred teams are already inside."

 _*Beep!*_

He then checked his electronic tablet and found something.

"Oh?" - His tone amused. - "It also seems that another set with Mutation Pieces has been formed." - This caught the interest of the ones present.

"Another? This should be the fifth, right?" - Serafall asked in a professional way, something _very_ rare in her.

"Yes, right now the only sets with Mutation Pieces are those of; Shiva's proxy, Typhon, Indra, Vali Lucifer and this one."

He kept reading, and soon a piece of information made him widen his eyes in astonishment - "It seems this person is more special than we thought!" - Ajuka's eyes held a surprised gleam.

"Why's that?" - Azazel asked while taking his legs off the table. He sat in an appropriate position and crossed his arms.

"Well, about that..."

"Ajuka?" - Sirzechs asked his friend, rare were the times he saw him like this.

"The first set with three Mutation Pieces was formed today." - He managed to say.

...

...

...

Silence. No one could say a thing.

But as soon as it came it was gone. - "You've gotta be kidding me! Three?! Even Indra only managed to get a Mutated Queen and a Bishop. Typhon only got a Pair of Mutated Bishops!" - Azazel shouted.

The rest present were amazed, some more than others but of one thing they were sure, this being is certainly special.

"What else ya' got?" - Sirzechs changed his speech to a more casual one, it seems this left him dazed.

The Maid standing behind him hit his head. - _*Slap!*_

"Cough. Excuse me." - Seeing the violent look in his wife's eyes he quickly apologized.

"Which pieces does he have?~" - Gabriel asked sweetly while placing a finger on her chin.

"It seems he got strong Pieces." - Ajuka read the report but even he had difficulties in believing this.

"Strong?" - Azazel asked, interested in the individual.

Serafall took the tablet in excitement and replied to everyone. - "Yes! Seems like he got a Pair of Mutated Rooks. Oh! Oh! And a Mutated Queen as well!"

Ajuka was still lost in thought. - (This shouldn't be possible. The only ones that got more than a single Mutated Piece were extremely strong or unique Gods. But not one managed to get three Pieces.)

"Okay...? Even Shiva's proxy only managed to get a Mutated Knight and a Rook. Nowhere near the level of this guy. Whoever he is, he should be quite something." - Sirzechs made the comment, getting the frustrated look of some people inside the meeting room.

"What else does the report say?" - Azazel inquired, vigilant about their new possible headache.

Ajuka snatched the tablet back, checked the report and started to read.

 _"Name: Ryuu. Age: 20 Years old. Race: Dragon. Sex: Male. Occupation: Traveler. Hobbies: Fighting, Reading. Specialty: Close Quarter Combat. Personality: Direct, Cold, Serious. Height: 1.85cm or 6 feet 1 inch. Looks: Deep Brown Hair almost Black, piercing black eyes with a red tinge. Fit but not overly so."_

"Fake name." - Azazel realized that, everyone nodded in disappointment. - "But for him to get three Mutated Pieces..." - Azazel soon gave up, nothing much aside from his looks and an approximate of his age was known.

"Guess we'll see him in the Tournament." - Michael spoke for once.

"I wonder, how his team will be?~" - The playful voice of Gabriel was heard this time. She placed both of her hands against her chest, highlighting her assets.

"Let's forget about that for now. We have other things to attend to." - Sirzechs changed the subject of the conversation.

"Indeed, we all came for this!" - Azazel took a couple of pieces of paper stapled together. - "This is the first report on Issei. Even I haven't read it!"

Everyone looked at the piece of paper in his hand. No words were needed for him to start reading.

Coughing briefly, Azazel started to read. - " _Everything Hyoudou Issei did since after the sealing of the Beast."_

" _Hyoudou Issei, current Sekiryuutei. Age: 18 years old. Never left Kuoh Town, always inside the territory attending school like usual or walking around the town. After some time—exact date unknown—his body started to experience some bad changes. He became skinnier and more tired, he had eye bags and the color of his skin became pale as if sick. Some of the interviewed believed he was ill, and gravelly so._ _Exact cause of this, unknown. "_

Each word impaled the hearts of the ones present.

" _His symptoms started to get worse as time passed. According to investigations, his personality also seemed depressed, self-destructive and gloomy. Possible sickness related to the Dragon Kind."_

Everyone bit their lips in anger. Even Sirzechs and Grayfia were doing their best to hang on and don't explode in regret.

" _Recently, he was seen attending school for a single day then not coming back. Our investigation states that he decided to temporarily leave school. The exact time of absence, unknown. Method to convince the Principal of the school also unknown, suspicions of some kind spell."_

Azazel gained his breath back and continued to read.

" _Transference of Bank Salary was done during the same time period as his absence from school. Exact quantity, a tenth of his savings, the receiver of the transference is Fujiwara Takumi, more research proves that this is a fake name, probably under the same Hyoudou Issei. A purchase was done during last week, said Fujiwara Takumi bought some clothes at a special store. The clothes were specially made, hereby, aside from what they look like, not a thing is known. More information about him unknown. Last day seen, Tuesday Last Week. End first report."_

Azazel finished reading but he was trying to not laugh. That name was one he recognized after all. At one point that person was an excellent driver.

"Anything else?" - Sirzechs asked, hope in his voice. Grayfia, behind him, was also the same.

"The report about Issei ends there." - Azazel recomposed himself and told the Maou.

He saw the red-haired's expression morph into one of rage.

"DAMN IT ALLLL...!" - He screamed as he stood from his position. He was furious!

(Nothing! Absolutely. Fucking. Nothing...!)

* _Smash!*_

He banged his hands against the table, cracking and breaking a part of it.

Grayfia was behind him, biting her lips so hard blood fell from the corner of her mouth. If one saw closely, one could see how her body was trembling.

"Hmm...? Seems that's not the end of it, here is another page. But this one is... different?" - Azazel flipped the page and started to read.

" _Due to suspicions about the response of the Gremory Peerage we did another investigation. This time related to what they had done during the same period of time."_

These words made everyone widen their eyes. They didn't understand, why did they decide to do this? And investigation to Rias' Peerage?

" _According to research, each of the members of the (Female) Gremory Peerage aside from Rossweisse and Gasper Vladi, were in Kuoh Town during this time period." -_ Hidding the smirk in his face at the mention of Gasper, Azazel continued.

" _Inquiry proves that every one of the Gremory Peerage was seen on multiple occasions with unknown males. After a period of time passed, they were seen more frequently and sometimes they stayed all night together. (Evidence states that during this period of time no sexual activity was done between them.)"_

The words from the report shocked everyone. Wha—? What are they saying? Sexual activities? Things _just_ didn't made sense. What are they implying with this?

Azazel decided to continue. - _"By asking more, we found out that the males in question were the boyfriends of the Gremory Peerage... More specifically; Rias Gremory, Himejima Akeno, Asia Argento, Xenovia Quarta, Irina Shidou and Toujo Koneko."_

They couldn't believe what he was reading. Did this mean tha—

" _Ravel Phoenix, was seen with a male close to Toujo Koneko. And, according to witnesses, 'They both fell for the same guy, so they are fighting over him'."_

" _About the male, Kiba Yuuto, it seems he was ordered to do the Devil Jobs of Hyoudou Issei. As a result, he wasn't seen in the Hyoudou Mansion for weeks. We believe because of the great amount of work he had to do—School and twice the maximum amount of Devil Jobs—he was hereby exhausted."_

The report still continued, but it seemed that it was only for Azazel's ears now.

" _Later on, he discovered about the current relationships of the Gremory Peerage, but according to our spies sent to inspect. Since 'He wasn't directly involved in the problem in question, plus being only a servant he had no voice nor vote in this business, he literally couldn't do anything.' (The Frase was taken from Kiba's Yuuto diary, page 56, line 14.)"_

Azazel left the report on the table and massaged his forehead with his eyes closed.

He could only sigh. - "Shit... This is such a fucking mess..." - Reading the report managed to fill his gaps in knowledge.

(Damn, I'm too old for this shit. So you left because of that Ise. I really can't blame you, I would probably have done the same.) - He turned his eyes to the ones he was most worried about.

Sirzechs and Grayfia were frozen solid trying to assimilate the words just now.

 _*BAAAAM..!*_

Then Sirzechs struck the table again, this time turning it into smithereens.

"FUUUUCKK...!"

They saw the man in question being surrounded with a dull red light. As everything in his surroundings started to _disappear._ All just began breaking apart and started to float in the air.

The particles of stone from the table hovered in the air and slowly turned into _nothingness_. The floor beneath him was slowly dissolved by the same red light around him.

(My Sister! My own _sister,_ cheated on her future husband! And she actually had the gall to presume it in front of him?!) - His thoughts were made a mess, he wasn't feeling well. He felt _sick_.

Grayfia turned her back to them, but her shoulders were trembling. Even her hands were curled up into fists. - (How stupid do they need to be to actually cheat on a man that threw his everything away for them?!)

The floor beneath her turned into ice that spread all over the room. Soon, it started to _crack_ , creating huge fissures all over the conference Hall.

Heat diminished, and everything inside the room was slowly being frozen. The walls, windows, chandeliers, chairs, even particles of _light_ , everything was in stasis.

The rest present covered themselves with their aura. It was the only thing they could do.

Serafall helped with the temperature control, trying to reduce the effects the ice had on everything. Ajuka used his Kankara Formula to control the brief and fast bursts of energy from Sirzechs.

(Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuc—Wait!) - Sirzechs then remembered a certain recent event when he went at the Hyoudou Mansion.

He stopped the aura around him and widened his eyes. From the perfect crater he was in, he turned to look at the maid.

Grayfia sensed the eyes of her husband on her, and from in between unsheathe tears she looked at him. His eyes transmitted a message only known to them, but she understood his unsaid words instantly.

(Don't tell me... Those boys...)

"Azazel! Are those males are they in the report?!"

"Let me check." - Azazel started to flip the remaining pages and soon found the one he was looking for.

" _The males are known as; Minamoto Reiji, Human. Age 22, Son of random High-Class Human Mages, has Sacred Gear 'Perfect Warrior'." -_ He mentioned the first one _._

(Rare Sacred Gear...) _-_ The thoughts of Azazel were those, not special but also not normal.

" _Mishima Ken, human, age 18, son of normal humans, Sacred Gear 'Green Dragon Crescent Blade'. "_

Azazel then remembered that Sacred Gear. - (Riiiight... A replica of the War-Lord's green blade. More common than the one before.)

"The next are three brothers; _Souji, Ryutaro and Hijama Takahashi. Ages; 18, 18 and 16 respectively. All have Sacred Gears. They are; 'False Gift', 'Mantle of Caos' and 'Tome of Magic'." -_ He stopped reading and turned to the other page.

"Seems images of them are—"

(Let me see that!) - When he heard that, Sirzechs stole the paper from his hands.

He turned the pages furiously like a man that was on the border of insanity. That was, until he found what he was looking for...

(You gotta be fucking kidding me...)

The images of the males in question were the same as the ones he remembered seeing in the Hyoudou mansion!

(Rias... You actually brought them to Ise's house?!) - He crumpled the papers. - (What would have happened if he was actually there?! Do you not think?!)

Sirzechs felt sick. His stomach started to ache and hurt terribly. His head was the same.

The Maid grabbed the papers from his hands and saw what they said.

 _*RIIIPP...!*_

She turn them into separate chunks of paper, then her aura did the rest. It soon became a piece of ice that broke the moment it touched the ground.

(Annnd... there goes the info.) - Azazel thought with a cool head. However, he was no less angry and shocked than them. Thankfully, since he was older than those two he knew how to hold it back.

Yet a small voice was still heard inside the room

"Akeno..."

His voice sounded clogged, like he had something _stuck_ on his throat. He couldn't just ignore this, this really affected him.

Everyone else was just silent, they didn't dare to say a word.

(How I'm I going to fix this?!) - Sirzechs was desperate, his stomach was stinging with a phantom pain. - (She basically cheated on him! If he wants to, at any moment, he can come and cancel the engagement! He has the entire right to do so!)

His worry once again increased.

(If Mother and Father know about this, they'll probably have a heart-attack!)

The bile in his stomach was just increasing. Making his stomach hurt even more than before. He could _feel_ his insides burning.

(But not only she did it. Nooo~ The rest followed her example as well! You all left him like he was something disposable, like a fucking toy! Damn it! Just... Just how could this happen?!)

He felt something warm on his throat, his head even went dizzy. And after some moments...

" _Cough...!_ "

Sirzechs spat a mouthful of blood and fell on one knee! His body was wobbly and his sight blurry.

Seeing this, everyone was frightened. His wife even more so! - "Sirzechs!"

She reached near him, her eyes trimmed with tears. The color of her face was pale, even her lips were almost blue. He knew she was also in a really bad state.

"S-Sorry..." - He apologized, unsure why.

(Wait... What would happen if Rias finds this out? That she was really was the cause of this?!) - His face once again changed color.

(She already thinks it was her fault. But that was only because we thought Ise did all of this for a completely different reason!) - He stood up and began walking from one side to the other.

(A reason that was indeed related to them, yes. But... but, I never would have thought that it was something this?! If she finds about the truth then, she will be devastated!) - He concluded.

(She would be broken in little pieces! Worse than when Ise was presumed dead!) - He stopped walking and grabbed his skull with both hands, almost ripping his hair out off his skull.

(We can't let her find this out! If she does, before anything of this is solved, then... I don't know what the result would be!)

He looked at his wife and grabbed her hand. - "We can't let anyone figure this out! If the wrong people know about this, then I worry about the worst!"

His words made everyone open their eyes, they didn't think about that!

Ise unknowingly had a lot of political weight, especially with the Norse and Shinto Factions.

If something like this is known, then every effort they put until now will be for nothing! Everything will be for naught!

And that was on a political scale, on a more personal scale they didn't know how their own Factions will react to this and more importantly how the girls would react!

(This situation could be even worse than the release of the Beast!)

This now scaled into an even higher league than before, if that was possible.

"Yes, nothing about this is going to be said to anyone, outside of us!" - Azazel exclaimed so that everyone could understand.

They nodded their heads.

"Anything else to talk about?" - Azazel asked, they just shook their heads.

"Good! Then if you excuse we, I need to go to the house of Issei. These guys... I need to see them for myself! Anything that happens I will tell you." - With that Azazel stood from his place and left in a magic circle.

Everyone just sat there.

Some were extremely affected. Others heartbroken, and some even angry. But the ones that were the most affected were definitely Sirzechs and Grayfia. To them, Ise was exactly like a fun little brother they loved to be around. So something like this made their entire worlds flip upside down!

They needed time to think about a solution and to calm themselves, like this, they will do more harm than good.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Hyoudou Mansion, Training Ground #2—-**

* * *

 **.**

Ever since the Gremory Peerage regained the strength, everyone has been training maniacally.

It was all training early in the morning, midday and then until night. Thanks to that, the guys manage to improve somewhat. Not at the pace of the Gremory Peerage, but decently enough.

Now they could force Kiba to use his Balance Breaker, Sword of the Betrayer, but when he uses it they will lose really fast.

Once again everyone was sprawled all over the training floor, breathing heavily and even bleeding.

"You have improved, but it's still not enough!"

Kiba reprimand them. But what could they do? They were normal humans and not hybrids like them. Even their talent was subpar, their only decent quality was the will they had to become stronger, that was more or less praiseworthy.

"Kiba-san. We have been thinking about how strong you actually are. Would you show us?" - Hijama asked while standing up with difficulty.

"Hmm... It may be good." - He agreed. - "That way it could temper your mind and spirit so that you don't get scared in the middle of a battle."

He went a distance away from them and prepared himself, it has been some time since he let loose.

The rest of males present lifted their tired selves up and watched.

Breathing in, Kiba closed his eyes. He stood there for some brief seconds and then opened his eyes.

Gone was the kind look he once had. Instead, replaced by a sharpness equal to that of his blades.

Everyone felt a chill up their spine, no aura could be seen but the heavy atmosphere was very real.

(What's happening?!) - Reiji thought as he looked at Kiba. His whole body was paralyzed and couldn't move.

Turning his head with difficulty he saw that the rest were the same, and that little Hijama was pale. He was always the one that was more sensitive to magical sources. At least, when compared to the rest.

Hijama, obviously, was even more terrified. Even at over twenty meters of distance, he still felt his heart being gripped by an unknown hand. His body couldn't move and he was bathed in cold sweat.

Souji and Ryutaro at his sides were almost the same. The difference was that one was trembling while the other was bitting his lower lip.

Ken had his eyes like plates, pure shock was written all over his face. He even swallowed the saliva in his mouth.

Then Kiba started to move.

He opted to perform a simple sword dance and increase the power as he went through it. That way they could resist it without fainting in the beginn—

He moved.

Placing a foot forward he used his decided to use his normal Balance Breaker.

As it started, he began performing a fight with himself. Twisting, spinning and moving at a speed barely perceivable with the naked eyes. He turned his sword swiftly and elegantly, even better than a professional.

Those movements made Souji, who also trained swordsmanship, feel shock and admiration.

Kiba looked at the males who were gradually getting used to this level. - (Good. Time to increase the scales a bit. Balance Breaker!)

As he thought that, a dozen dragon-looking knights surrounded him. Each moving at a fast speed, rivalling his.

He quickly ordered them to fight against him. No mercy.

...

Seconds turned into minutes as he continued his fight of twelve versus one.

After sweating for a while he saw, in the corner of his eye, how the males were dumbfounded. Their mouths left hanging wide open.

(So he was holding back this much..! Damn! Why?! Why is he so strong?! What pushes his so far?!)

Reiji thought as he watched the peerless sword dance. In his eyes, Kiba was already far from human. Even if the Sacred Gear—or Gears—proved him otherwise.

Hijama was watching the twelve knights, his eyes shining. He couldn't think about anything else but the dance. Kiba really was worthy of the title genius.

Souji and Ryutaro felt weak. Extremely weak. Never would they have thought that Kiba was so powerful! And they still knew that he was holding something back.

"It seems you accustomed yourself to this level!" - Kiba screamed at them, breaking them off their thoughts.

Everyone just thought. - (This Lev-? This Level?! He can still up it?!)

"That's good. In that case... I'll show you a bit more since you were capable of holding until now! Consider this where you should aim at!"

Then Kiba created a magic circle. It was pitch black in color with an ominous miasma surrounding and coming off it. Multiple amounts of curses and demonic sigils were spread evenly on its surface.

And from the circle... a beautiful sword was seen.

It was a two-handed, bastard sword. It's colors were black and red with little gold accents on its handle. The tip of the sword curved slightly inwards and then back out, forming the edge of the blade.

The Sword gave off the impressing of being capable of killing anything under the Heavens. Whether it's Man... or God.

A pitch black aura surrounded the entire sword, gifting another creepy feeling to it. It was as if the sword itself was cursed. Something that you're _not_ supposed to hold.

Everyone felt goosebumps when they saw that sword. An instinctive fear filled their entire bodies. And soon, they started to tremble.

(Just looking at that blade makes me feel sick?!) - Reiji thought as he looked at the blade.

(Just what is that sword? Something like that can't be the product of a Sacred Gear! This amount of power in the hands of a human... It's so... unreal.) - Ken kept watching the aura on the sword.

(What exactly is that?! That's not a sword! Nor a blade! It's... _sin_ given form!) - Souji never stopped watching the blade. Even if he was scared he still looked at it, maybe his instict as a swordsman kicking in.

"Not bad. You withstood the aura of ' _Gram_ '. Feel proud about that!"

Kiba knew that if he swings this sword, they will probably not be capable of handling the impact of its offensive aura. Therefore, he decided to stop his sword dance and walked towards them, suppressing the aura of Gram as much as he could.

"Gram? _That_ , has a name?! - Souji asked as he pointed at the blade.

"Indeed. That's her name. And please, don't say it's an _it_." - Kiba lifted the sword in his left arm and corrected him.

"She's the Demonic Sword of the Emperor. Gram. A sword held by the Norse Hero Sigfried, used to slay Fafnir. It's the strongest Demonic Sword that exists. Rivalling ' _Collbrade_ ' or ' _Caliburn_ ' in strength."

"Caliburn?! Does it exist?! I thought it was just another Legend!" - Souji asked. Ever since small he read about the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table so the sword was rather well known for him.

"Yes. It's currently held by Arthur Pendragon, a man descendant of the original King of Knights." - Kiba replied while putting Gram away, inside her own magic circle.

"Then the rest of those Legendary Swor—"

"They exist." - Kiba confirmed their thoughts. - "And the most famous are called The Four Strongest Holy Swords created by the God of the Bible. They are; Caliburn, Excalibur, Durandal and Ascalon."

Hijama then decided to ask. - "Who has them?"

But before Kiba could answer a transportation circle appeared at one side of them.

It was a simple golden in color with a pair of black wings on its surface. And from it, an old-man appeared. He had black hair with golden bangs, and wore a purple coat with nothing underneath and black-colored pants.

"Yo!" - He casually saluted.

The five males raised their guards to the limit. Just the sole aura this man had made their legs wobbly!

"Azazel-sensei!" - Kiba responded.

The males in question were astounded! They recognized that name. The Former Governor of Grigori, Azazel, called the strongest Fallen-Angel and the first to fall!

"Kiba, it has been a while." - He nodded at his direction and then looked at the five males. All of them were trembling, their faces pale, clearly scared of him.

(Oi! Oi! Even when Issei first met me, he actually looked into my eyes with the will fight. Despite knowing he couldn't win. Can you at least not tremble in front of me?)

"Hey... Kiba. Who are they?" - Azazel asked as he pointed at them, trying to keep up the act.

Kiba was shocked, but he did his best to hide it. He really _didn't_ want something else to deal with right now.

"They are Sacred Gear possessors the girls found. We are training them so that they could protect themselves. They also know about the current Game and offered themselves to fight by our side as thanks for training them."

Kiba thought a lie on the spot. He felt terrible by lying about this and felt even worse when he thought about his friend.

(Ise-kun, please, please forgive me. I'm a terrible friend... I wasn't even there for you when you needed me! And now, because I'm a coward, I can't even say the truth when it's most needed!)

Kiba knew about their boyfriends after he was given the extra Devil Jobs. But he didn't say anything. He was scared of what could happen, both, to his best friend and his master.

He was no one to talk, a mere servant and that's all. Ever since discovering they were their boyfriends, he wanted to tell Issei but he didn't know what would happen.

Sometimes, he was too exhausted and tired. The body had its limits, and with everything he had to do he reached his.

Studying and preparing for tests and projects on school. Getting good grades so to enter a good college. Finishing his own Devil Jobs and even doing the ones of Ise, since he was ordered too. They were days in which he literally didn't sleep.

Ever since discovering the truth about the girls, he felt even worse, he was even getting sick due to all the stress and guilt he was experiencing.

He felt he betrayed his friend! And in the worst possible way... yet, he couldn't do anything. And now that he was finally done with everything he had to do, Ise vanished from the face of the Earth! Thanks to this he felt even worse.

Even worse. Now he needed to train these guys!

Every time he saw them he felt even guiltier. Yet he decided to do it with a smile on his face and no emotions whatsoever, like a professional.

He thought of this like a small atonement, of course, only to make himself feel better. But he at least thought of something to atone for, since he knew that what he did was horrible.

Azazel just watched his hidden, guilt-filled face.

(It seems you're feeling pretty bad about it yourself Kiba.) - He felt sympathetic.

(Haaaa...) - He mentally sighed, he knew the truth thanks to the report. And although it wasn't his fault, he stayed silent, that was as guilty as the rest of them.

(More reason for us to hide the truth!) - He concluded.

"Kiba, all of the superiors know about Ise's disappearance."

The sad nod of the blonde was his only answer.

"So, what were you teaching them?" - Changing the subject of the conversation, Azazel spared Kiba.

"The basics. How to move their own body. How to not waste energy. Among others. The girls teach them spells and other things."

"Ha! So it's like that. I see!" - He smiled in a friendly manner making the males relax.

"Right now they asked about the ' _Holy Swords_ '" - This caught the interest of the Fallen-Angel.

"Oh? Then how about I explain it to them? I have nothing better to do. That way you can also rest, you do look tired." - Kiba nodded at the words of Azazel.

The Fallen turned around and kept his eyes on the five of them. He then smiled and said.

"Well! Let's start! I assume you know what the swords are?" - They nodded to his words.

"Good! Then, I'll tell you a bit more about them."

He continued smiling, but unknown for everyone he was analyzing them quite meticulously.

"There are four Holy Swords that were created by my father. Among them Caliburn is with Arthur Pendragon, a sword so powerful it's capable of breaking space. And due to that same trait, it's the sharpest and strongest." - He started to explain.

"Durandal is a sword that is embodiment of power and destruction. It's said that the sword at its maximum is capable of cutting any defense. No matter what. The current wielder of it, is Xenovia Quarta."

At the mention of that name, everyone was surprised.

"You didn't know?" - They shook their heads.

"Well, Xenovia was chosen by the sword. Oh right! Once a weapon reaches a certain level, it's capable of gaining wisdom. Therefore, capable of choosing its owner." - Those were really interesting words.

"The other sword is Excalibur broken during the Great War but fixed. Right now it's also wielded by Xenovia, but she's not very good with it."

"It has seven abilities; Rapidly, Destruction, Mimic, Nightmare, Blessing, Transparency and Ruler. In a few words, it increases your speed and destructive power, it changes shape, it creates illusions, it makes holy elements more powerful, it make you invisible, and it's capable of ruling over everything."

That comment made them open their mouths even more. Such bullshit weapon exists?!

"Next is Ascalon, used by Saint George to slay an absurdly strong Dragon for its rank that tormented a Town. The weakest of all of the swords, but it has a Dragon Slaying nature capable of gravely wounding any Dragon with just a scratch!"

"And it's currently wielded by Issei Hyoudou, the Sekiryuutei." - Yet another piece of information that made them even more shocked than before!

(Damn! He's just such a monster!) - They all thought.

Wielder of a Longinus with a Dragon sealed inside it. Killed a creature of true Myth and Legend. Friends with many Gods and Legendary creatures. And now? Wielder of one of the 4 Strongest Holy Swords. Each day, Hyoudou Issei became an even more unfathomable existence for them.

Azazel just looked at them. Seeing the Envy and Greed in their eyes as he mentioned Issei, he understood.

(So they feel great envy of Ise and think. ' _How did such a common and perverted guy could be so special?_ ') - He read them like a book. He was a millennia-year-old Fallen-Angel, reading a pair of snotty-nosed brats was nothing.

(Haaa... I don't know what those girls saw in them.) - Azazel thought to himself. - (Maybe Grayfia or Serafall can explain it better than me?)

He just stayed there looking at them and soon after, he vanished when the five weren't watching. He no longer had anything to do there.

* * *

 **—-A Couple of Hours Later.—-**

* * *

 **.**

The training stopped and the guys left the mansion and went to their own houses. Aside from Azazel, who they thought to be somewhere inside the house, all of rest were inside a room.

The entire Peerage was inside the mansion, doing nothing in particular. Right now they were sitting at the main living room, while each one was doing a different thing.

Kiba was reading a book, trying to calm himself down.

Rias and Akeno were watching T.V but their eyes weren't on the television. They were actually thinking about something else, probably Issei.

The ' _Church Trio_ ' were playing among themselves, it seemed to be cards this time.

Ravel and Koneko weirdly enough, were close to one another, not disturbing the other in the slightest. Ravel, like Kiba, was reading a book. And Koneko was eating some sweets from a pile in front of her.

No one talked. They were too focused with their own business. The sound of the T.V was the only thing that made a slight noise inside the living room.

Like that they just stayed there until the movie ended. Seeing the credits, they waited for another one to start.

Abruptly, everyone felt an increase in magic inside the living room. And sudden magic circle appeared at the entrance of the room, directly above the red carpet just by the door.

From it, two unexpected figures were seen.

"Hello everyone, we're back." - A polite voice was heard.

"Rias-senpai. Akeno-senpai. Kiba-senpai, we're back!" - A childish voice was heard as well. The second figure jumped from the circle and practically ran at them.

"Gasper!" - Rias smiled as he saw the Vampire running towards her.

Reaching her, she hugged him. - "I'm glad you're finally back." - She spoke while looking at the both present.

Gasper looked exactly the same since the last time they saw him, not even a hair was in the wrong position. He still wore the Kuoh Academy girls uniform, but it would be weird if he didn't.

"We actually met to the ORC club, but since no one was there we decided to come here together. It seems our guess wasn't wrong." - A figure moved away from the circle. This one being a female, a rather special Valkyrie.

"Rossweisse! I'm glad everyone is finally back!" - Rias smiled at her.

Rossweisse was a beautiful woman who gave the impression of being pure and relaxed.

She had long silver hair closer to white that reached her lower back. Her turquoise eyes were filled with the light of anticipation of meeting with a special someone and she wore a different getup compared to the past.

This one being a white short dress. It was similar to snow and had few purple engravings and frills.

The dress was sleeveless and showed a big part of her cleavage. It was short but not extremely so, only reaching mid-thigh. She also wore white heels that had straps that wrapped her entire heel and calves. The entire attire was very beautiful, and everyone inside the room just stared at her.

The eyes of the ones present managed to make her blush. - (I hope he likes it.) - She thought while she turned her head away, probably in shyness.

"Amazing... Rossweisse you look great with that dress!" - Rias complemented her.

"Thanks!"

Rossweisse grabbed the edges of the dress and started to spin in place, the light in her eyes became even brighter than before. Everyone watched as she was playing with her dress, the smile on her face was filled with love.

"If you're here then everything in the North should be done?" - Rias asked, a little anxious.

"Yes, everything was accomplished perfectly. The Beast will no longer trouble us." - Those words relaxed more than one. Thankfully, everything ended well enough.

"Mmm...?" - Gasper, who was sitting quietly, noticed something almost immediately. He turned his head looking for someone.

"Where's Ise-senpai?"

His comment froze everyone present. No one dared to say a word.

Rossweisse noticed this and asked, slightly worried - "Guys? Where's Ise?"

She started to look into everyone's eyes. All held guilt inside them. Kiba just turned his entire face and looked at the side, ignoring this scene.

"...Rossweisse. Gasper..." - Rias gathered enough courage and decided to answer her question.

Akeno at her side was bitting her lips, she didn't have the courage. She could only stand at the side of Rias as some kind of moral support.

"Issei has been missing since a week ago..."

Her words howled like a hammer inside the Valkyrie's head.

The little Dhampir was almost the same but he couldn't exactly believe it.

He always idolized his senpai. And ever since Valerie went to the hospital, because of over using her Sacred Gear, he followed his heart and decided to never leave her side. He knew that his senpai would be proud over his decision.

Never would he have expected something like this! All of his emotions were on turmoil, tears started to fall from his eyes.

"Issei... Ise removed his Pieces and left! He left!" - Rias basically screamed that sentence.

Gasper felt dizzy, his head started to spin and from his body black smoke started to come out.

(...Senpai...)

He felt terrible. Even his Sacred Gear was starting to get out of control.

Rossweisse was almost the same, but she understood a bit more.

(He ripped his Pieces out of his body and left...)

She knew what that meant... more-or-less. During this time period, in which she was gone. Issei made a decision, and whatever forced him to do it was definitely horrible enough for him to be left with no other exit except that.

(What exactly happened during this time?! What happened?!)

Her bangs covered her eyes, but the surge of aura from her body made everyone feel tense. Even the little Dhampir felt threatened at the aura that Rossweisse emitted.

A pale light-blue light surrounded her, it was not much in quantity but the density and heaviness it had made everyone feel goosebumps.

" _Tell me everything._ " - That was her only comment.

* _Nod. Nod._ *

Rias felt really scared by the look in her eyes. She soon started to explain.

"We don't know exactly why he left but we believe it has to do with us..." - She decided to tell what she thought to be the truth. Her voice sounded really soft and insecure. Guilt flooded from in between her words.

Rossweisse noticed this. - (This isn't good.)

Seeing that expression she soon understood that whatever happened was actually related to the woman in front of her. She also understood that it was something that will make her angry, really, _really_ _angry_.

"It all started like this..." - Rias decided to be the one explaining all of this mess.

Gasper stood near the Valkyrie and like her, he decided to listen to her words.

* * *

 **—-1 Hour or More Later.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Both, the Valkyrie and the Dhampir went wide-eyed, not believing a word she just told them.

"You can't be serious?" - The Valkyrie asked. She thought that everything she told them until now was a joke, and a really bad one at it.

Rias just tried to avoid eye contact with both of them. This response managed to confirm the words spoken by Rias to both.

Rossweisse felt terrible. She started to feel dizzy, her stomach ached and her entire face was starting to change in color. From pink to white and from white to almost blue. She placed a hand on her mouth and tried not to vomit, that's how bad she felt.

* _Thump!_ *

Her legs lost strength and she fell down, luckily she landed on the coach.

Stabilizing herself from the fall, she tried to recover some of her strength. At the same moment she covered her face with both hands and looked straight at the floor.

(You did!? You actually did it!?)

She couldn't believe it! It seemed a lie! It need— _had_ to be a lie!

As she was sitting there, perplexed. Gasper was feeling different.

He widened his eyes, and soon his whole body started to tremble. He couldn't believe their words.

The girls, who were seeing this, felt the same way as Rias. Guilt, anxiety, hopelessness, fear, among others emotions were clearly seen in their eyes. In general their entire selves were confused and exhausted. They were made a mess!

Rossweisse looked back at them and thought of something. A horrible outcome. A horrible idea born from pessimism an fury. But her morbid curiosity got her best. Therefore, she asked.

"You... Don't tell me you're all the same? You did the same?"

She really hoped she was wrong. She even secretly prayed to whatever deity she knew to be terribly wrong! She didn't want this to be the truth! But life, for once, proved her right.

The girls just did the same as Rias. Not having enough courage, they just turned heads away.

* _Sprint!_ *

Gasper could no longer handle it and started to run away from here. He needed time to think, to focus on all of his thoughts.

No words were needed, Kiba—the moment he saw him like that—also started to run after him, following closely. They soon left the room.

The ones present didn't pay attention to this, everyone was just too focused on their own bad thoughts.

Then a _cold_ voice was heard. It was as if it came from the deepest depths of Hell.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. They felt as if the just awoke a sleeping beast, a Monster. And said monster wasn't happy in the slightest.

" _Let me get this straight._ You lot actually went out with other boys? Just to gain _experience_." - She spat the word. - "And then compensate any _damage_ done to Ise at another _time?_ But, you were blinded by your own so-called ' _feelings_ ' and forgot about Issei?"

Each word sounded sharper than the last, and each of those words pierced them in an extremely weak spot.

Not even having the strength left to nod their heads, the silence was the only answer. But for Rossweisse, that silence was more than enough proof.

"...…"

She had no words nor thoughts. She just stared at them with an empty look in her eyes, as if she was looking at the stupidest people she'll ever meet.

(You just cheated on him and started to get intimate with other guys!? Men, you haven't even known for more than three months! You threw Issei away like he was a disposable toy and now you think anything will change?!)

She was furious, her entire self was surrounded in an aura that emitted anger and fury.

(...Issei...) - Tears fell from her eyes.

Soon after, she opened her eyes in shock and just sat there. Thoughts started to fill her head.

(What exactly happened to you?!) - She now felt extremely worried, she felt extremely anxious for the man she loved. - (Something must have happened!)

Not for anything was she the one tasked to fix the seal on the beast, she found a loophole on the story.

(I can understand why he left. But taking his Pieces out? He wouldn't have taken a risk that big just for that. The risk is just too much. What forced his hand?)

She started to think, her analysis was quickly made. - (Okay. So, in other words, there are two options. Either he was in such a horrible state that his own mental capacity was completely lost, hereby making him do a really stupid thing. Or, something happened with the Pieces and was forced to take them out!)

Her thoughts were in a sense right, but she never thought that both outcomes could happen at the same time. After all, even one of them was already terrible enough, the both of them would be another story completely. A _really_ bad story.

(But the Pieces have never malfunctioned. Nor could they kill someone. I also don't think he would do something as dumb as trying to remove the Pieces from his body just because he could.) - She placed a hand on her chin, deep in thought.

The girls just stood there not moving in the slightest.

(Taking them out is practically suicide, no one has survived the extraction of the Pieces. But, they say that he did!)

Her thoughts started to fasten even more. But after a couple of minutes of thinking, she reached nowhere.

(I have too little information...)

She decided to ask more about this, even if it meant threatening everyone in her path!

She stood up from her position and left the room, not looking at the remaining _girls_ in the slightest.

After she left, the heavy atmosphere on the room was still there. They knew that saying this wasn't going to be easy, but it still made them feel horrible.

* * *

.

Meanwhile, Rossweisse started to look for a certain someone that she knew was in the Mansion. After all, she could feel his aura.

Following the aura throughout the entire mansion, she reached the very top floor.

On the terrace of the building, a man was drinking what she believed to be whiskey.

He was leaning against the rail and was looking at the clouds in the sky. The perfectly orange-coloured sky was the only thing illuminating the terrace. After all, it was already quite late in the afternoon and thanks to the talk with the girls, time passed rather quickly.

The man turned around the moment he felt someone at the entrance of the terrace. And right at the glass entrance, that was similar to a window, a beautifully dressed woman could be seen.

Her eyes held an indecipherable light but the thing that made him feel threatened was the expressions on her face.

A mix of worry, anxiety, sickness and anger could be seen. It didn't take long for him to understand the reason behind it.

He decided to play the fool, something he was really good at.

"Oh! Rossweisse, you're finally back!"

He gave a calm greeting. For anyone else that would have proved useful. Unfortunately for him, Rossweisse was not in the mood to play games.

She crossed the entrance and almost sprinted through the wooden awning. Every step was heavier than the last.

"What's wrong with-!?"

* _Slam!_ *

He was forcefully grabbed by the neck of his coat and slammed against a pillar!

The entire pillar shook in an unstable way and the Fallen could _feel_ the strength behind that grip. Luckily for him, his whiskey was on the edge of the rail so thankfully it didn't spill all over the stone floor.

"Now you'll answer my questions!" - Her voice sounded sharp and even made him feel threatened.

"What are you talking about?!"

He was terrified! Never has he been in this kind of position before!

Then, with the coldest and sharpest voice he ever heard in his _life_. The woman talked... He felt as if Death _herself_ was in front of him and was _whispering_ sweet nothings into his ear.

The eyes of the woman now could be fully seen, but they scared him even more. They held not a trace of light. As if they belonged to a person that just witnessed Hell and survived.

" _Azazel_ ~ If you don't answer my questions... Then, I'll start by breaking every _bone_ in your hand. There are twenty-seven bones just in a _single_ hand... Imagine the possibilities! The _pain_ you'll experience... _Hmmm_..."

She hummed! She fucking hummed?! This was no threat! It was a promise!

"Then, I'll move to your lower arm. There are two _looong_ bones there, I bet they _will_ hurt if they break."

Azazel was downright terrified! - (What the fuck?! What the hell is she thinking?! She's got a screw loose!)

"Oh _yeess!_ ~ They will _definitely_ hurt. I'll make _suuure_ of it!"

(Multiple screws loose! A metric-fuck ton of them!?)

"Further up your arm there are three bones. And a broken clavicle is _not_ something you wish to have. Therefore, in total thirty two broken bones. Just in a single arm! HaHa! HaHaHa! HaHaHaHa...!"

(Father! Please! Smite me or something! Snatch me away from the jaws of the Lioness!?) - Her promise made him pee his pants.

"If you still refuse... Well then... I'll move to the other arm! Then to the leg! If you _still_ don't want cooperate with me. To _help_ me~ Then, that little thing dangling in between your legs..."

He went pale-faced, he wanted to cry.

" _I'll riiipp it off, Azazel..!_ I swear there will no corner. No crook, or canny! No _fucking_ place you would be able to hide from me...! And when I catch you—because o' I will. You'll pray—beg me, to finish you off."

Now this was the most terrifying moment in his life!

Not even when he was in front of the Beast! Not even during the Great War did he ever experience something like this!

What was worst was that the eyes of the woman held no hesitation. - (She will actually do it?!).

"Now you'll decide... What exactly happened to Issei?"

"I'm sorry! But we only know that he went missing a week ago! We have our theories but not a single one has been proved!"

He spilled the beans just like that.

Seeing nothing amiss, she asked again. - "When was he last seen?"

"Around a week ago! In Kuoh Academy! He went there to ask for an absence of school!"

"Okay. Then, why did he remove his Pieces? And don't give me the same story you told those kids! I'm not dumb!"

She grabbed his left hand and started to twist his index finger.

(She will really do it! She'll keep her promise! She'll keep her promise?!)

"I can't say that! I can't!" - She started to twist his finger even more. The little pops of his finger were clearly heard.

"Tch. Tch. Tch. Wrong answer."

"Wa-Wa-Wait!

She momentarily stopped. - "Spit it out, Azazel!"

"Okay! Okay! But you need to keep it a secret from everyone! From everyone!" - She just nodded her head.

"It started like this..."

* * *

.

Another hour went by, the sky darkened and soon night covered the entire Kuoh Town.

Rossweisse didn't move until Azazel finished speaking.

"That's all I know! I swear over the body of my dead father!" - He was almost crying.

He told her everything. The messages. The known reason. The report. Everything! Thankfully, he didn't show her the video. But those messages he received, she heard them all!

She quickly let Azazel go.

As fast as he was capable of he took a good five-meter distance from her.

(Never have I felt that scared before!) - He felt goosebumps all over his skin, he even shuddered violently.

After making that feeling go away he just stared at the woman in question.

Rossweisse was thinking. - (So you did it because of that Ise...)

Although much information was missing, at least, she discovered the truth.

She was angered, really angered. But even more so towards herself. If she was just there with him the... nothing like this would have happened!

(Issei! I'm so sorry. For not being there with you! When you needed me the most!?)

She fell on her knees in front of the pillar and started to cry in a low voice. Her entire body was trembling.

This day that was supposed to be the best in her life after finally confessing to Ise. And instead turned out to be the worst ever!

The man she loved, was MIA. Presumed dead.

The women he loved, all of them, left him to his luck!

Even if she wasn't directly involved she still felt awful.

After crying for some time, she just sat there.

Moving her head up, she looked at the pitch black sky that had some stars in between the clouds. The moon shining with a dull light. She just kept staring at the sky until she more or less recovered.

"Will you blame them? Will you tell them that it really was their fault?" - Azazel still kept a distance and asked.

"Personally? Yes. I want them to experience what he felt, but... What can I do? They felt scared, that's normal. But they decided to make the worst possible decision. And with possibly, the worst outcome." - She started to talk in a much calmer voice.

"Their punishment is not for me to decide. Issei will have the _pleasure." -_ The word just rolled off he tongue. _\- "_ They are just a bunch of immature brat that made a terrible mistake. A stupid, unforgivable mistake. And the result of the decision they made will come for them. That, will be their punishment."

Her words were true, Azazel had to agree with that. But he was scared of the end result. if they confirm their suspicions. Then... it will end _really_ badly.

"Please keep the secret. Just until we figure a way to diminish the damage." - He asked her sincerely.

She turned to look at him and replied.

"I'll say this just in case, but whatever the end result is, I'll be on Ise's side. Even if he decides to kill!" - She didn't want to leave him again, not after all of this.

(Issei, when we meet please tell me the entire story...) - Her thoughts went to her loved one.

"What will you do now?" - Azazel asked once again, this time feeling a bit more calm.

"I'll stay. I need to be an adult for once and actually think without my feelings numbing me. The Tournament you mentioned will start soon. And call it a gut feeling, but I think we'll meet Issei during that time."

She stood up and took a cold breath of air.

"Therefore, the best chance of seeing him is by staying here. I'll be the same as I have always been towards them. After all, it's not my position to treat them in a harsh way."

She started to pat her dress, getting all dust and dirt off it. Then she walked past the Fallen-Angel and went inside the mansion. Leaving the Former Governor behind in the terrace, alone.

He grabbed his whisky and downed it in a single go.

"This is such a big mess..."

He said his mind out loud, and stared at the night sky. In a certain way the sky calmed him down, maybe there was something good about this day...

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Training Field # 2—-**

* * *

 **.**

Kiba was running, right now he came from the elevator.

He was chasing after Gasper who came here maybe to think without anyone disturbing him.

At the distance, right at the center of the entire field, he saw the Dhampir sitting on the ground. He had his head covered by his arms and his knees were against his chest. He couldn't hear a thing, but he knew he must be crying.

Walking closer he approached Gasper.

Sensing something, the little Dhampir turned his head up and saw the blonde knight of Gremory.

"Kiba-senpai..." - He looked at Kiba with teary eyes.

"Gasper... I-I... really don't know what to say." - Kiba confessed. His smile was like someone that had entirely given up.

"I'm going to be honest with you, I also feel terrible."

He sat down behind the Dhampir, resting his back against his.

"I...I feel extremely sick... I feel like I just betrayed my best friend in the worst possible way!" - His voice started to crack, he was finally saying his mind, something that took him far too long.

"But what could I do?!"

The Dhampir was listening to the Knight. Seeing the tears falling from the man's eyes, he knew that the burden he placed onto himself was just too big.

Guilt... it was something everyone, at least once in their lives, has experienced. And sometimes it hurts too much. Depending on what exactly you did, the guilt and remorse you feel increases or decreases.

Some lamented over a decision they didn't make...

Others about a terrible act they once did...

And some, at the memory of not saying goodbye to the ones they loved...

Everyone had regrets. And the regret, the remorse, of betraying someone you deeply cared for... was by no means small.

Right now he felt like that, ever since that last day he saw Issei, everything started to get worse.

Since it was the last year of Highschool everyone got too serious. The professors and the same students, placing too much work on their shoulders as a ' _sign of beginning a new life, of responsibility'_ to prove that College was different.

Others didn't particularly care about anything, while the rest were so strict that a Military School was a better choice.

During that time period everything, everyone, just dumped him with huge amount of things to do. Whether his Master, school or even himself... He stopped caring about other things and started to focus more in his own pending matters.

The Devil Jobs were either early in the morning or really late at night. During the afternoons he had projects, videos, presentations, models to prepare. So every single day he was just too beat up.

When he discovered exactly who these guys were, he was so exhausted that he barely felt the tug.

He wasn't in his best and due to that, he regretted.

He knew about it, yet because of other pending business he postponed it for later. Like that, days kept passing and slowly his amount of work started to decrease, leaving him to think about them even more...

He didn't ask the reason why. He thought it was just temporary. Maybe trying to make Issei jealous so that he puts more attention to them?

But... when he discovered that they were serious, it was too late.

He couldn't say a thing. Just like when someone leaves something for the last possible moment and at the end they just don't do it. He went through the same.

After the days passed, he felt even worse. His sleepless nights were no longer due to work, rather because of the thought of them not leaving him alone. He indeed tried to talk to the girls, at least once, but he was just ignored, no one cared about it during that time.

He went to his master, but she just shrugged it off. He thought that since he's a servant he couldn't say anything about this.

Plus this was a really personal matter between them. He wasn't related at all! He believed that since he was just a servant and wasn't directly involved in this, no one would hear him, it didn't matter what he had to say!

Thanks to those thoughts and the experience of being completely ignored, the seed was planted and inside his head the idea of ' _Not worthy of saying anything',_ or _'A servant should just obey_ ' started to bud.

Even if he was his friend, his loyalty to his master was bigger. And at that time he made a decision.

He tried to ignore what happened, he put his loyalty in front of his friendship. Another mistake.

The emotions he felt during those days were pretty bad, not for a moment did the thought of ' _Did I made the right choice?_ ' left his mind. He thought and thought about it, but he didn't reach a conclusion.

After even more time passed, he made another choice, telling Issei the truth and help him! But he made it too late... He was already gone and no one had seen him, even the Faction Chiefs were looking for him. But even after a week, not a thing has been found.

"I feel so bad! I could have saved my best friend!"

He grabbed his head and tried to calm himself, a fruitless effort.

"I could have stopped him of removing his Pieces!"

He also wasn't dumb, after thinking for some time he reached the conclusion that Issei removing his Pieces because he didn't want to be found was too ridiculous.

"My friend! My brother! He-He decided to remove them even if it meant his death! And for what?! No one knows!"

"I, who swore to be by his side supporting him, left like a coward! _I_ left him alone experiencing who knows what! All of this because I was scared of something so dumb!?"

He stood from his place and started to walk around. Screaming with all of his lung capacity.

"If maybe I had a part of the courage he has... Then, I-I... would have insisted even more with the girls! Maybe, just maybe! I would have helped him and talked him out of doing something like that! What kind of friend stays with his arms closed as he watches his brother, in-everything-but-blood, try to commit suicide?!"

Kiba was the one that was most affected by this. He felt—knew he betrayed his friend. He knew that at that moment, he decided something dumb. All of this because he felt he wasn't listened to! Nor noticed! Nor anything!

He gave up without even trying because this was something new for him.

Who would have expected the girls to suddenly fall for random guys they met less than three months ago!? No one!

Yet, because of it, now not only him but the girls, Gasper and even Rossweisse, were falling apart. He didn't dare to think what would happen if the Factions discovered it!

The Yōkais. The Norse. Damnit! Even Shiva that took an interest in Ise! Probably everything they worked for the past year will go down the drain!

Kiba stopped walking in circles and just stood there... looking at the ceiling.

Gasper knew that he was probably the one that suffered the most. After all, he thinks that the sole person he dares to call a brother was betrayed by him.

"Kiba-senpai... I-I think that I-Ise-senpai won't blame you."

Gasper stood up and started to comfort the Knight. How ironic did that sound, the one that came to console was the one consoled.

"Why you say that?"

"Because Ise-senpai is kind. I bet he understood since the moment you were burdened with so many things that you needed to do them. He does know that therefore, I think he won't blame you." - Gasper sounded sure of his words, something rare in him.

"...…"

Kiba kept silence. Thinking about his words.

"W-When we see him again if you feel that bad, then apologize. Better do that, than nothing. E-Even if it means little."

Gasper was also saying those words to himself, after all, he was also away during this important moment. But he believed that his Senpai will forgive him. Probably even reprimand him because of making the choice he thought was right, but until now he just hoped for the best.

Kiba was silent, meditating those words.

(Maybe you're right... When I see him again I'll apologize to him. Even if I'm a terrible friend it's the least I owe him...) - He started to calm down. His previous relaxed apperance started to come back.

(But those guys... They are a different thing. They are too greedy and envious over what they think they could have. They are exactly ' _Frogs at the bottom of the well_ '. Sooner or later they will realize how big the world actually is, and at that time I hope they notice several things...)

Since the first moment he met them, he knew that those guys were the usual greedy bunch. After some beatings during their training they learned to hide it better, but they still were at best amateurs.

He noticed how they tried to compared themselves with Ise. But they don't know a thing.

Even at the start they tried to make him less. Saying it was dumb luck. That he did nothing and had help. That if they had what he then they could do it as well. Even faster and better.

Even after discovering what he did, they dismissed it. After learning more and more, and now at the meeting with Azazel, he noticed how they were frustrated. Now they even had pure envy in their eyes.

(Well, it's useless to think about that. There will be a moment in which they will notice it themselves... How wrong they actually are.)

Kiba now had a plan, and a short-term goal.

(I need to meet Ise-kun, at that moment I'll say everything I have too!) - He resolved himself and looked at the Dhampir at his side.

"Thanks, Gasper. I really needed that." - He smiled once again.

"D-Don't worry Kiba-senpai! In a sense, I-I also needed to hear those words..."

After thanking each other they started to leave the training field, both with a new goal in mind.

They needed to see Ise, but for now, they had nothing about his whereabouts. They were also forbidden by the Factions to do anything related to searching for Ise.

So until anything about him was found, they couldn't do a thing. The only thing they could do was to wait. Both of them knew that Ise was fine, just missing, therefore he wasn't in any danger.

They also needed to train for the Game, after all, they were going to participate in it.

They didn't know what kind of enemies they will meet there. But of one thing they were sure... they will be extremely strong.

They might even fight against Gods... And for now, they couldn't even face one... much training needed to be done.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Nasuno Shrine / After leaving the Underworld.—-**

* * *

 **.**

Ever since they came back from the Underworld, Ise has been scolding the pair of women.

One, for starting a fight when it was not needed. And to the other, she scolded her saying; ' _Why she didn't do anything to stop Ericia?'_

After calming down he asked the Vampire if she won.

She proudly answered ' _Of Course!_ '

He liked that. A member of his team actually defeated the strongest youth in the Underworld!

"Fine. I'll let it slide. But just for this time."

The pair of women, who were kneeling outside in the middle of the little yard behind the Shrine, actually looked at him in shock.

""You will!?"" - For once, their voices matched. The same surprise clearly heard in them.

"Yes. You did defeat him, for me that's more than enough." - He told them while they stood up, cleaning all the debris off of their clothes.

[You're soft Partner.] - The words of the Dragon also held pride at his choice.

(Only to them, Ddraig. Only them.)

The Dragon just smiled at those words. He liked how his Partner didn't turn out to be cold to everyone around him.

Issei just started to walk in the direction of the Shrine. And after reaching the wooden steps, he sat down. The women looked at him and decided to walk close.

Ericia had something she wanted to ask.

"Ise, how was the registration for the Games?" - She crossed her arms while waiting for his answer.

The Fox was also curious. So she walked even closer to Ise and sat next to him, less than an arm away from him.

Issei smirked and from his Darkness, he took out a small, black briefcase.

As he did that the Vampire looked at the fox, clearly uncomfortable about her distance with Ise.

(Tch! Fox... you're too close... Much too close for my liki—)

She shook her head and removed those thoughts. Just in time to hear the voice of Ise.

"It was excellent. Even more than that!"

He opened the briefcase, and from it, fifteen black pieces could be seen. But three of them had red linings and were shinning in an even brighter light.

"Those are the pieces?~" - Fuuki leaned forward, looking at the Pieces. And of course, showing great part of her cleavage to him.

Issei saw her and soon moved his eyes away.

(This woman...) - She was too flirty with him.

"Yes, Fuuki. The ones with the red linings are the Mutation Pieces."

Now Ericia leaned forward at those words, her interest peaked. Unknowingly she did the same as Fuuki, but since her breasts were bigger they stood out even more.

(Oh! Give me a break.) - He turned his eyes away again.

He quickly decided to ask them something. - "Well, aren't you two interested in how much you are worth according to this?" - He took the phone they gave him during the registration and shook it.

The pair of women looked at the phone, light in their eyes.

"Yes!~" - Fuuki smiled at him.

(I like her smile.) - Stopping his train of thought he looked at the Vampire who just nodded her head.

"Fine, let's start!" - He then opened the app.

It was really simply designed, the main screen held various different ' _buttons_ '. They were the ' _News_ ', ' _Team_ ', ' _Competitors_ ', ' _Scan_ ', and ' _Own_ _Matches._ '

(I see... quite self-explanatory.)

He tapped on the scan button and a device not different from a camera filled the screen.

"Fuuki, stand over there." - He pointed in front of him.

The Fox obeyed and stood barely a couple of meters away.

He tapped the scan button and from the device itself came out a red light that started to scan the Yōkai. It started from the buttom and reached the top. The entire process took a solid minute or two.

After that, information started to appear on the screen alongside a small image of the female at the top left of the screen.

The information read as;

" _Name:Unknown. Race:Yōkai. Specific Race:'Kyuubi-No-Yokō'. Level:'High-Tier Low-God'. Possible Pieces: '7 Pawn Pieces' 'Two Bishop Pieces' 'Queen Piece' 'Former Pieces Mutated', '4 Mutated Pawns'. "_

Issei stopped reading and looked at the beauty. Shock hidden under his calm expression and rising eyebrow.

(God-Class!) - Those were his thoughts, but Ddraig soon explained.

[Partner, even among Gods there are classes. And a Low-God is a simple God that has no battle attributes and is rather weak. The Cadres Of Grigori should be around Mid-Tier Low-God max, depends on who.] - Ddraig explained but the excitement of Issei was still there.

(Indeed. But she's not even 20 and already has reached that level, Ddraig! Imagine in the long run!)

[That's true.]

(Speaking of powerhouses... How about the Maous or the Seraphs?) - Isse asked the Dragon inside the gear.

[As I said, it depends. The so called ' _Level_ ' is just based on magic reserves alone. So there are beings that are said to be Low-Class but can defeat a High-Class with ease. Don't trust those levels much, if you do, it will cost you!] - The Dragon warned Issei.

(So it's like that...)

He then turned around and looked at the beauty. - "I believe I already know which Pieces will suit you."

He grabbed from the inside of the black briefcase the two Bishop Pieces.

Then he walked near her and grabbed her hand placing the pieces on her palm and recited. - " _Would you Benikomichi Fuuki become my sole 'Bishop' for this battle until victory is achieved?"_

The beauty blushed, inside her head other words were said.

"Until the end of time!~" - She answered with a beautiful smile that made the current Ise blush for once in a long time.

The Pieces lit up in a red, warm light and went inside of her chest. After which the light died down.

"Feel different?" - Ericia asked while looking at the Fox.

Fuuki just stared at her hands and answered.

"Nope!~ Not at all~" - Her voice carefree as she could make it. - "Hmm...? But, I believe their attributes only work during the Games." - She reached the conclusion.

(As I thought.) - Issei had his suspicions but he wasn't entirely sure. - (They don't work unless it's during an official game.)

"Well let's see what changed inside the ' _App.'_ "

He used the phone again and went into ' _Team_ '. From it, a line-up could be seen and the 'Bishop' position was occupied.

It was really simple looking, it was exactly like a vertical list; the King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook and Pawn Pieces.

Only the information he wanted to put was shown. Probably this was also the only information others received during the official match. It held the same data as the scan did but he decided to erase the picture, he did not want anyone to notice something too suspicious.

The King position was already filled. But aside from his name, which was Ryuu, his Race and his Level which was marked with '?' the rest was empty.

Seeing the question marks he thought. - (Could it be... A bug in the App?) - He shrugged his shoulders, he didn't exactly care much about it, so he let it slide.

"Good!" - Satisfied about the Team part, he turned around and looked at the Vampire.

She understood what he implied and like Fuuki, she stood some meters away and waited for the scan to begin.

Issei smiled at how they could easily communicate without speaking, he really liked that.

"Let's begin." - He pushed the scan button and the same red light was seen.

Soon after, the information about Ericia was known.

" _Name:Unknown. Race;Vampire. Specific Race:Unknown. Level: 'Low-Tier Low-God'._ _Possible Pieces; '8 Pawn Pieces' 'Two Rook Pieces' 'Queen Piece' 'Two Knight Pieces' 'Any of the Former Mutated'."_

Issei now understood what Ddraig was talking about! - (So it's like this!)

He knew that Ericia was far above the Level mentioned, possibly even Top-Tier. But since her magical reserves were low, it only mentioned that much.

He then stepped closer and like with Fuuki, he chanted. - " _Would you Ericia Draculea become my Mutated Rook for this battle until victory is achieved?' " -_ He grabbed the Mutated Rook Piece and placed it in her hand.

His words and actions managed to get a blush from the beauty. But to hide it, she just turned her head away.

She then regained her cool and looked into the eyes of Issei.

"O-Of Course!" - The Piece flew and went inside her chest the same as Fuuki.

After the process ended, Issei grabbed the phone once again and checked the Team part.

On one of the Rooks positions the information of Ericia could be seen. And like with Fuuki, he erased the picture and just left what he believed was enough.

Right know Issei was officially inside the World Class Rating Games! A smile appeared on his face.

"As so it begins." - His voice was happy. And the two beauties smiled like him.

Ericia with a battle-thirsty grin, while Fuuki smiled in a mischievous manner.

The birth of one of the strongest team inside the Games just happened today. And right now they were just starting.

Who knew what the rest of their journey had for them?

* * *

 **END**

* * *

 **.**

I felt this chapter was the longest, at least for me to write. Too many things were talked during this chapter, and many holes were filled while new ones created.

(Edited Random Day Around September.)

—-

.

.

About the power Level System; I'll leave it here:

Low Class

" _Low-tier, Mid-tier, High-tier, Top-tier."_

Mid Class

" _The same tiers as mentioned above_ "

High Class

" _The same tiers as mentioned above_ "

Ultimate Class

" _The same tiers as mentioned above_ "

.

[Master (Only Humans)]

" _The same tiers as mentioned above_ "

.

Low God

" _The same tiers as mentioned above. Beings like; Ladon, Grendel, Nidhoggr, Hermes, Raphael, Most Cadres and some Seraphs, Yasaka, Current Fenrir, etc "_

Mid God

" _The same tiers as mentioned above, plus 'Weak Divine Beasts'. Being like; Sleipnir, Samael, Yamata-No-Orochi, Original Behemoth, Michael, Azazel, Baraquiel, Shemhazai, Serafall, Falbium, etc"_

High God

" _The same tiers as mentioned above_ , plus 'Real Divine Beasts'. Beings such as; Typhon, Crom Cruach, Azi-Dahaka, Apophis, _Susanoo-No-Mikoto, Poseidon, Mahabali, etc"_

Chief God

" _Amaterasu, Dagda, Odin, Zeus, etc"_

Top 10.

" _Sirzechs and Ajuka at Max, Indra, Shiva, Hades, Lugh_ , Thor, etc"

Dragon Gods

 _Great Red, Ophis before loss of power, and Trihexa (Yes I'm counting it as a Dragon God, easier for me)_

 _._

 _._

Remember this is just a SCALE BASED ON MAGICAL RESERVES, so real combat strength will be different, I just put this so that one could more or less gauge the level of someone.

About Issei... for now, it will be a secret, but it's related to his 'Darkness'.

That being done, thanks for everything till now, the story is becoming really fun to write especially for the next couple of chapters, I hope you're liking it, because I sure as hell am!

.

BTW; I don't know if I could post next week's chapter on time.

Mid-term exams just arrived during the middle of this week and they will extend to the next, I even have an exam on Saturday! That's how bad things are, these exams are beating the living shit out of me, so if nothing is uploaded next week then an apology in advance.

.

Answers:

—-

TatsuyaShiva4: Yes, I'll make him have a bro, I already know who. However their meeting will be kind of special...

GateNothingness: That's the general idea, but I still don't know if I should modify it or not. My idea is making something from both of them, but it will be far later around the tournament.

TheLaughingStalk Lenny-kun: Yes I will add a male to his team, sounds far too interesting than the idea I had before, even know who will he be.

adislt: Believe when I say that I try to make a sense to that. However things are complicated, but I'll do my greatest effort to make sense to it, that I promise. For know I made it like that, think about it as a safety measure, later I'll explain more in detail, I hope...

PsychoSync: I will do as you said, I'll make him have a bro I even know when will I insert him to the team, maybe around two chapters at most three. Also do not worry, I like when you guys tell me your ideas, makes my brain work. If it wasn't for you the story wouldn't be like it is now.

GenerationZone: Yes you guessed right, he will be a 'Hero' but who it will be, I'll leave it to you. Your guess may or may not be right...

DreadedDemise: Thanks, They will meet maybe around the tournament? Still not sure, I still need to add more characters and with some ideas everyone gave me, I need to change the brainstorm I did a little.

Gammagyro: Thanks for the songs! Less than half I already had, but the rest were new!

About Ophis, I'm not going to make her give him something, he will be far too OP. For now I need to make him improve his abilities alongside the Boosted Gear, so for now it will not happen.

The relationship with ORC will be... interesting, later on, you'll know why but for now I can't say much, that it's still too far ahead in the future.

The Horsemen, that sounds interesting! Maybe I'll think of something involving them! For now things will only change slightly with the plan I made, but I think those changes will be really good.

The Harem, I'll think about it. The idea is indeed like that, but for now I'll make it small, later on, I'll expand it of necessity.

Yasaka... Maybe I will? Sounds fun but I still need to solve the thing with Amaterasu, but for now I think I'll add her, maybe, depends on some things in the future. Things that are still not that... planned.

Like Elvis HaHaHa Ha! True, I think so as well!

About the Finances of Issei, you just found out about it.

Xerox45: Thanks for the good words. Hope you liked this one as well!

Mir19: Sure. Just google Benikomichi Fuuki and the beauty with black hair is her.

For Ericia, google pixel philia 6 she's the one at the cover. (Warning, its an adult book, so heads up.)

leader dbz: Yeah, thought it would be fitting. Later in the story, more things like this will occur.

Guest: I'll think about it but certainly, it will go like that.

Czechus: Thanks! I'll definetly try the app, I really hope it can help me with this. Thanks for the advice!

Yeah! The response the rest will make it will be awesome to write! For know I'll give you a little sneak peak of what Rossweisse did, I think I made her a little too Yandere...

xxLastSoldierxx: Thanks! I really wish for the story to be quite good, Although I still fail in a couple of things I believe that I have done a good job! The story will later become more interesting.

TheReaderofGods: Kuroka will be in the Harem, and I'll try to update every Friday, (I hope...)

OsteoPoro: Kuroka will be in the Harem, but Sona won't sorry if it disappoints you but I don't know how to make her fit in without being too forceful, plus I don't know how to write an appropriate personal interaction between them. Again an Apology, hope this doesn't ruin your reading.

wahyubison:

The name I decided to make it the female form of Dracula and since Draculea sounds more feminine I went with it.

True Vampire History doesn't dictate that Dracula was named Tepes it depends which version you read. After some cultural changes, they decided to make 'clans' in an attempt to solve the mess they made with former Vampire History, that's where the Tepes came from. The first mention of Dracula was in the memoirs of Jonathan Harker, that's where the original Dracula story came from. Not on a single page was he named 'Tepes' so based on that note, I decided to make her different from the Tepes. I have actually read the story, not the bad movie of 1992, so after all of this, Ericia is a Dracula, not a Tepes since I based myself on the novel to write this.

Sorry if this was long and confusing but that's how it works in my head and once you think about it, it makes sense.

Tanker17: Issei will have feelings for them but I need to introduce them in the story first, but worry not they will be with him.

Classy J0K3R: Hope you liked this chapter as well, the story is slowly progressing and I think not too many chapters are left until the Games, probably 3 or at much 4, well I hope it will be like that.

Thanks for Reading and...

See You Later!


	10. Chapter 9 - The Ruins of the World

Chapter 9

(Thoughts)

'Important Words'

"Dialogue" -

 **Attacks, Boosted Gear**

[Good Old Ddraig]

{The Albion}

*Magic Circle Communication. Among Others*

 _Chanting!_

* * *

 **The** **Ruins** **of** **the** **World**.

* * *

 **.**

Ever since finally forming his team, Ise became far more relaxed than before, maybe because the biggest problem in his list was now solved. But even with that solved he still had a few... dilemmas.

Thanks to the little stunt pulled by Ericia, the Underworld now had suspicions about them. Add the fact that the Shinto Faction was also looking for them and well, you have a headache.

In fact ever since they came back, a couple of days passed and all of them were either training or looking around the place.

Everything was fine except that the movements of the Shinto Faction were starting to reach all the way here, to Nasuno. They actually got here a little later than he expected. Therefore, after making sure they avoided the scouts sent to find them, Issei finally decided to follow the next part of his plan.

Now the three team members were outside, at the main garden.

"I believe that is finally time for us to leave. At least, until everything here in Japan calms down." - His words sounded harsh, but the pair of women knew that he was right.

The Vampire crossed her arms under her chest and started to talk, Ise just ignored the pair of attributes that were just too obvious.

"Yes, I think that we need to leave. The sooner the better." - She turned around and looked at the Fox, who surprisingly was quite calm.

"I know we need to leave..." - She sounded kind of sad.

"~But I made my mind a long time ago!~" - She had a serious but childish look on her face, stars seemed to be present inside her eyes.

Ever since discovering the group of scouts too close for her own personal comfort, she decided to leave the place.

"~Iseee~" - She looked at him. - "~We're are we going?~"

Issei, on the other hand, was thinking.

"Make it interesting, Ise." - The Vampire quickly added, she wanted to go somewhere interesting and cool, a place were not many dared to adventure.

Issei moved from his thinking position and looked into the beauty's eyes. Seeing the glow in his eyes, she knew he had something planned.

"I have been thinking, and I believe Kuwait should be a good option!"

The place was rather famous, it was a beautiful location in the Middle East. An excellent place to tour around, filled with a lot of different things.

It was a technological super-power, and if one investigated deep enough, a city that has almost everything; tall buildings, beautiful sceneries, excellent food, among other things.

"Kuwait?" - Ericia never heard of a city like that, but it indeed sounded interesting.

"~I've never been there~" - Fuuki tilted her head. She was the same as the Vampire.

"A city where its the epitome of human technology, and one of the most modern cities across the globe."

He liked that, it sounded like a place that will show you more about human culture. He mainly decided this destination thanks to this. If he could show how human culture grew to the pair of women, then he could keep his promise of not boring them.

Ericia needed to see the world and how far it has reached. How the difference in human beings was as compared to now. And he needed to show Fuuki how big the world is, that way she will feel better about herself and see that not everyone persecutes her because of her existence.

"~Oh!~" - The Fox was interested in the city.

Ericia just smirked and thought. - (You never cease to impress me, Issei. I like that!)

Seeing the light in the eyes of the pair of women, he knew that he was right in his choice.

"Good! We'll depart in an hour. Make sure you don't leave anything behind, and also, erase your presence from the Shrine." - Issei ordered and the females just nodded their heads and went inside the Shrine.

"I'm quite excited myself..." - He said once everyone was gone, but the Dragon in his head answered.

[Interesting choice Partner. I have also never been there but by the research you did, I'm quite curious myself.] - The Dragon in his many years as a Sacred Gear has never been in that territory, so for him, it was also a new experience.

(Yes Ddraig, everyone is quite interested.) - He mentally talked to the Dragon.

After an hour passed, everyone finished doing whatever they needed to do.

At the same garden that they were just at, they met again.

The females didn't hold a single bag with them, but Ise knew that they should have used a personal pocket-dimension to keep everything stored.

"Ready?" - He asked the females, who only nodded their heads.

Looking back at the Shrine, Ise did a quick check-up with his senses. Not finding anything odd, he nodded in approval.

"Do it." - He looked at Fuuki and ordered.

She nodded her head and the bracelet on her left wrist expanded and started to spin in front of them.

She then chanted. - " _Break the Boundaries between worlds Yasakani-No-Magatama, Transfer!" -_ The space in front of them distorted, and a new portal was quickly made.

"Let's go." - They nodded their heads as a sign of going after him.

Issei just went towards that space. - *Foop!* - An odd sound was heard, it was too quick, like a car that just sped by.

The Vampire was the second to go inside.

By recommendation of Issei, she took off her greaves and gauntlets leaving only her deep black bodysuit. Instead, she decided to wear a pair of high heels and black stockings that covered much of the skin of her legs, but it made her a walking bombshell. As an extra, she tied a long-sleeved, black jacket on her hips making her look even better than before.

Fuuki was like always, in her short black dress with red accents. The strips of her sandals were tied all the way to her calves yet the image she gave was no less astounding than the Vampire. Those red eyes of hers were for Ise, too flirty, making her look exactly like a seductress.

The pair of women crossed the portal, but Fuuki just turned around and smiled as she looked at the place. Soon after, like the both of them, she left.

The Shrine was officially empty, and no one will know that the three of them were actually here all this time.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Kuwait / Late Afternoon, Beach—-**

* * *

 **.**

Thanks to the time difference, it was almost night at Kuwait. And thanks to that, the beach was empty. The cold winds and the absence of light made the humans leave the place, yet right now a portal was made in the furthest ends of the beach, near the ocean.

From it, three figures appeared; a man and two beautiful women.

"You actually didn't send us to a weird location, that's new." - Issei decided to tease the Fox a little.

She just crossed her arms and turned her head away, but her blush, even with the little light they had, was still visible.

"Let's go, Kuwait at night is even more beautiful than in the day." - He walked past the women while giving them a small smile.

The two of them turned around and witnessed a beautiful sight.

The tall buildings were lit up, shining with multicoloured, artificial light. The tallest of the buildings had even more bright lights that suited them perfectly, making them stand out from the dark sky.

The sky was an odd mixture of orange and black, giving to the entire city a calming atmosphere. The only thing they could hear was the sounds of cars passing by the roads, and the noise of the rustle of leaves on the trees. The entire place was worthy of remembering it.

While the two women were looking around with a light in their eyes, Issei was just smirking at the sight.

He then placed his hands in his coat pockets and started to walk at the buildings' direction. The women watched him walk past them and soon started to follow.

After walking away from the beach, they reached a highway. Thankfully, a bridge used by the natives was here, it was at one side of the road so they could safely walk across the highway without much problem.

Once in the bridge, the lights of the city became even prettier and the view they managed to capture was three times better than before. But it didn't stop them from continuing their walk.

All were silently looking at the different parts of the city, at some times they made comments about the location in general, talking amongst themselves about nothing in particular or just messing around. Clearly, they were far closer than before.

* * *

 **—-30 Minutes Later—-**

* * *

 **.**

The three of them reached what they believed to be the center of the city. Stores were at either side of the polished, stone road and some nightclubs were finally open, with their music to the maximum.

"~Where do you want to go?~" - The Fox asked while ignoring the eyes of other males present.

Issei was thinking. - "How about the 'Liberation Tower'?" - He pointed at the tallest tower they could see and proposed to them.

The Vampire just nodded her head while giving a death glare to the human males near them, frightening half of the males watching them. Fuuki just smiled, causing the rest of the male half to blush.

"Good." - Issei turned around and decided to head at the tower, it wasn't that far away.

He walked with confidence and pride, guiding his two teammates to their next location.

Unknowingly for him, most females were looking at him in an odd fashion. Forcing Fuuki to change her smile to a threatening glare. Ericia was also annoyed at the looks of the females, but the glare of Fuuki was just enough for them to stop.

After walking around the streets, buying some food from street vendors, going inside some interesting-sounding shops, and basically touring around, they reached their original destination.

"~We're here!~" - Fuuki threw the stick of her popsicle stick away.

"Finally." - The Vampire just crossed her arms and looked at the tower in front of them.

Issei soon noticed that there was a large queue in front of them.

(We can't stay in line, it will close before we even move.) - Thinking about something, Issei noticed a sign right at the steel gate, although it was written in a different language he learned a useful spell for this kind of situations.

Discreetly using his trusty spell, a black magic circle appeared on his hand, that was still inside his coat pocket. - ( _Open_ _since_ _8_ _A_. _M_ , closes _at 7 P.M.) -_ That was what the sign said.

(We don't have much time left.) - He noticed that it was rather late.

Soon, he planned something. He then smirked and turned around. The Dragon inside the Boosted Gear was smiling, he liked his plan.

"Fuuki." - She turned around and looked at him.

Seeing his scheming face and the craftly glint in his eyes, she discovered that he had something planned.

"I want you to use your Yōujutsu and hide us. We don't have the time to line up." - He pointed with his thumb at the queue.

The female then noticed the huge line and the sign, therefore, she smiled beautifully and nodded. Ericia just laughed silently, quite scheming he was.

Soon after, the Yōkai used her powers and a mysterious looking mist covered the three of them. After that, they literally vanished from their spot.

Calmly walking to the entrance, the three of them dodged the guards and skipped the line.

After some time, they reached the inside of the tower. Issei just made a sign to Fuuki for her to dismiss the spell. Like that, the mist that surrounded their bodies soon left, as if carried by the wind.

"Excellent." - Issei patted Fuuki's head, she liked that after all.

"We're here. Thankfully, nothing happened." - They all started to climb up the stairs of the building.

After climbing all the way up they reached a single, circular room in which all the tourists that were lined down below were currently at. Looking around the place, they noticed that the circular room held no concrete walls, just windows.

Walking near an empty spot they looked out the windows and saw the entire city.

All of them were silent, not saying a word.

Ericia just saw the incredibly tall buildings, standing as proof of the change in their society. Her eyes held amazement and even curiosity, she was dazed by the modern human culture.

Fuuki was just silent, her eyes widened in surprise and excitement. She loved the scenery of the city and she definitely liked how beautiful the world was, outside of Japan.

Ever since being with Issei the pair of women felt satisfied and happy about their current situations, their choice of coming with him was definitely the right one.

Issei was different from the two.

He leaned over the rail and relaxed. His tense eyes finally calmed down, only at this kind of moments would he really feel that he was free.

It would be a lie to say that he didn't think all of this was a dream. After all, spending all that time in such a terrible state still left some sequels on him. But by looking at the scenery of Kuwait, at the beautiful night sky, and the artificially illuminated buildings. He felt free of everything and his entire self was more composed.

[Partner. I know that you're still wounded by what happened. But let it pass, that is already part of your past. It's time for you to finally move on. The first step you did it a long time ago, now is the time for you to continue your journey.] - Ddraig acted as a mentor and soon gave his advice.

(That's right Ddraig. The reason I travel is to seek peace and to convince myself that the world is far too big for me to just live inside a little Town all of my life.)

Issei was different from the past, now he had good companions and with Ddraig at his side, he knew that whatever that happens to him, he won't be alone, not anymore.

Looking at the city, his eyes were filled with nostalgia and other complex emotions.

He just leaned there, taking the scenery to heart and trying to move on with his life.

Although the first step is always the most difficult, continuing what you started is no less complicated. But he thought that he was doing a good job, and sooner or later, he will finally leave all of that, all of what he experienced, behind.

Soon he was lost in thought. The people inside the tower started to leave and after some time, it was empty.

The pair of women just got out of their thoughts and started to look around, quickly finding Issei. However, Issei was still as before, looking out the window.

Since the three of them were separated inside the room, the Fox and the Vampire silently decided to go where Issei was located at.

Meeting halfway, they saw Issei leaning over a rail looking directly at the heart of the city.

Stopping some meters behind him, they talked among themselves.

"What's wrong with Issei?" - The Vampire asked as she saw the many emotions inside the eyes of the Dragon.

She saw many emotions, some of which she knew quite well; Nostalgia, Pain, Anger, and Hopelessness. Seeing him with those eyes made her blood freeze.

"...Ise..." - The Fox noticed the same thing as the Vampire, but she also understood a bit more.

His eyes held some kind of burden, something that was annoying him a great deal. She knew that those emotions had something to do with his past.

"Fuuki, has Ise ever told you why was he so different than what they put him as?" - She asked the women at her side, curious and slightly worried over him.

The Vampire, when alone with the Fox, would sometimes ask more about Ise's past. But aside from anecdotes of his many adventures, nothing more was known.

When they asked him about more private stuff he would sometimes talk about it. About some of the things that he went through, but when any of them asked what happened after the war, he would completely ignore their questions. His eyes will also turn like this; dull and devoid of emotions. Neither of them knew what to do.

"He's hiding something..." - Fuuki narrowed her eyes and reached the conclusion, Ericia was also the same.

They both knew that something extremely horrible must have happened to him. Since some time ago they had their suspicions but seeing him like this... they knew it was something terrible.

Fuuki also talked with Ericia about the words she heard from Albion the day they escaped from Kyoto's Imperial Palace, so they knew that something happened, but they didn't know exactly what.

Right now they just knew each other for a couple of weeks, so they decided that after more time passed and after Issei finally trusts them even more than now, at that moment, they will ask about what happened. Even if they needed to tie him to a chair and force him to talk! However, for now, they could only wait until that moment.

Issei returned back to himself after sometime passed, he turned around and saw the eyes of Fuuki and Ericia. Fuuki had worry written all over her face while Ericia was looking at him with an uneasy look on her face.

"Sorry..." - He apologized to the both of them, he knew that he needed to explain, but right now he wasn't ready, not yet.

They both nodded their heads, understanding his words, not pushing the issue at hand.

After that, he walked in past them and decided to leave the tower.

While on the stairs Ddraig talked to him.

[Partner. You need to say it. I know they are important to you and you don't wish to talk about it because you hate it, but sooner or later you will need to do it.] - The wisdom of the Dragon made him think.

(I know Ddraig, but I... I am confused, I feel scared. I think that it will happen again, and this time I will certainly die, nothing will save me.) - His voice sounded raspy and sad.

[Partner... I know that you feel uneasy about something like that happening again. But in the couple of days we spent with both of them, I noticed that they are vastly different from the rest. Just look, right now they know you are hiding something, but they don't force it and give you your own space and time to willingly talk about it.] - Ddraig was trying to help his friend.

(...…) - Issei was just quiet, listening to his words.

[If it was the Gremory girl then she would have asked until she either succeeded in her attempt, or she would have cried saying that you don't trust her, making you feel even worse. Yet, they are different.] - Issei knew he was right but he was doubting.

[The rest are the same, just remember. The Fallen toyed with you because she thought it was fun, the white cat insulted you because you were too honest with them, the church warrior wanted your genes because of the Boosted Gear. Do you want me to continue?] - The Dragon was quite strict with his words.

[They are different. The Vampire is a troublemaker, but she's an excellent woman. She listens when it's needed and because of what she experienced, she gives your own space to think and calm down. Because she knows what it feels to have someone all the time ask about something you don't want to talk about, and because she knows how cruel life can be, she gives you time.] - Ddraig wasn't holding any punches.

[The reason the two of you communicate and understand each other so easily is because the both of you lived something extremely similar. She was left alone by everyone, not because of choice but because of chance, and due to that she was sealed inside the ruins of a lost Empire.]

[And you were left alone by choice rather than chance, slowly dying a painful, horrible death I wouldn't wish even for my worst enemy!] - He was just silently hearing his words, thinking about them.

Issei kept his head low and continued walking down the stairs, not taking his eyes off the ground, completely focused in his own thoughts.

The women, when they saw him like that, went uneasy. But they soon noticed a small green glow on the reverse of his left palm.

They knew he must be talking with the Dragon. And by the looks of his face, it was something rather big and important, maybe even related to the reason behind his change. Because of that, and the severity of the aura surrounding him, they were just quiet, only looking at him.

Issei was silent, digesting Ddraig's words.

[The Fox obviously has feelings for you, yet she doesn't force it. She knows that if she forces it, all will be for nothing. An unstable relationship like the one you had will once again be created, and if that happens, in the long term, you will separate yourselves from each other. She's waiting for the right moment, a moment in which you are mentally ready to accept a woman.]

To support his claim Ddraig made him remember something.

[Or have you forgotten? The moment in which the Gremory and the rest of her Peerage yelled at you at the club before the match against the Bael?] - Issei widened his eyes and stopped walking, turning his left hand into a fist.

[At that moment they selfishly ' _attacked'_ you, because you couldn't understand her feelings. And because of that, they couldn't start their own plans.] - Issei bit his tongue.

[They completely disregarded your own feelings, having a trauma because of the Fallen, your first girlfriend, the sole woman aside your mother who once ' _loved_ ' you.] - Issei had a somber look in his eyes as he remembered that woman... Raynare.

[They ignored you, treating you like the bad guy of the movie. And when you asked, why were they like that? They scorned you and said you were horrible for not understanding, when the ones that didn't understand were them!] - Each word was sharper than a knife, but it was necessary.

[You were confused and kept thinking, 'Why?' They left the room and only you were remaining, they left you to think about what 'wrong' had you done! When the ones that did something ' _bad_ ' and ' _horrible_ ' were actually them!] - Issei started to walk again, soon he reached the main door.

[Issei, you need to learn how to differentiate people. Once you learn how, you will never pass through something like that again. Not every woman is evil, just like not every man is good. Life is just like that, and not because of someone bad you met should you think that everyone else is like that.] - Ddraig finished his speech.

Issei, after opening the door at the bottom of the stairs kept walking with his hands in his pockets, thinking about his words.

(You're right.) - He decided to listen to the Dragon, to his Partner and friend that has helped him through so much.

(I can't keep myself like this. But I just can't forget what I went through.)

Issei reached a conclusion. - (I will tell them. But I need time, once I'm ready, once I don't let my past affect me, I will say it!)

Ddraig was satisfied, his Partner was certainly different from before.

He needed time, just like everything did. Rome wasn't built in a day and for his Partner to rebuild what was destroyed, will take time. Yet the resolve was there, he was now more relaxed. His Partner just improved even more!

This journey was, after all, something good. The goal of it was to understand the world but mostly himself. Call it a journey in search of enlightenment, an adventure that will help him grow mentally and spiritually.

He then turned around and looked at the women in question, he smiled and told them. - "Please wait until I am ready, I know that there is something you wish to know but I still feel bad about it. Once I'm done with it I'll tell you, I swear!"

The women looked at each other in shock, but quickly smiled. Then they looked at Issei and nodded their heads.

Seeing them like this Issei felt a sense of relief. He knew that what he asked was selfish, but he really needed some time.

He smiled as a response to their agreement and turned around, there were still many things that they needed to do before they left for another place.

He walked away from the tower, this time calm and sure about what he needed to do.

The two women walked a step behind him, but they still were worried about what exactly happened to him. They knew Issei rather closely but for him to not tell about what happened, it must have been something traumatic.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Port of Kuwait / Three Days Later—-**

* * *

 **.**

"Ok. How did you get that?" - Ericia asked Issei while looking at the thing behind him. Fuuki stared at it with stars in her eyes just like a little child.

"About that..." - He scratched his cheek. - "I already had it with me. A gift from someone a couple of Months ago." - He replied, proud of what he thought off some days ago.

After touring around Kuwait, he decided that after finishing looking around this place they should go somewhere else. However, the how they should leave was never on his head, until just Yesterday.

Ericia went wide-eyed at his response, her mouth open a bit due to surprise. She just kept looking at the vehicle he chose to leave Kuwait.

A big red sailboat was behind Issei, it was big enough to be called a luxury yacht.

Its red color was similar to his own eyes and some black parts could be seen in the Hull. The mainsail was a lighter tone of red but the whole boat caught the eyes of everyone in the port.

It was big, around two floors in height. And thanks to some magic, he made it look like a normal boat.

This boat was no other than 'Ryuuteimaru', his own familiar.

After spending the entire day of Yesterday on the beach and all over the coasts of Kuwait, he thought of something. Seeing the many humans on their ships sailing the coasts, he remembered about his own 'Boat Familiar'.

Then, after leaving the women behind, he went to check the size of Ryuuteimaru. At first, it was a big surprise to see the huge size of his familiar but at the same time, he was also happy about it. With this, he decided his means of transport to leave Kuwait!

"Where are we going?" - The Vampire asked him with a deadpan look on her face.

Issei smirked and answered. - "We shall sail through the Persian Gulf!" - Clearly excited.

"After that, we will arrive in Iran and although having a bad reputation, it is quite beautiful and has pretty much every biome known by mankind. Whether Deserts, Jungles, Cold Mountains, Tropical Forests, or others." - He sounded like a Vacations advertisement on T.V.

Fuuki was excited so she agreed completely, nodding her head continuously.

Ericia was without words, but she decided to leave her shock behind. So she slumped her shoulders and gave up.

"With you, I will certainly not get bored." - She then recovered and walked towards the boat, Fuuki right behind her.

Issei was left standing there. Looking at his own boat a sense of pride and accomplishment filled him.

"Time to go." - He then walked towards his boat and climbed upwards.

Once up, he saw that women were at either side of the Hull, looking at the Persian Gulf they will now sail in.

Issei went towards the steering wheel and turned on the boat, however, he forgot about something.

(How do you drive this thing?) - Issei thought as he looked at the controls of the ship.

[Let me help.] - The voice of the Dragon was heard inside his head.

(You know how to sail a boat?) - He was surprised at his words.

[Yes. A past possessor was an extremely good Pirate so I learned a thing or two.]

Issei then asked. - (Who was he?) - He was intrigued by the words of the Dragon.

[You should have heard of him, his name was Francis Drake.]

Issei widened his eyes in shock.

('El Drake!' The one that fought against the Spanish fleet and the sole reason why the Spanish didn't rule all the seas?!) - He has read about him.

[Where do you think he got his nickname? He was a past possessor of the Boosted Gear, that's why they named him like that!] - He was shocked at the new information the Dragon told him.

[Now follow my instructions!] - Ddraig ordered his Partner, making him stop his thoughts.

Issei then placed his hand in the steering wheel. Thanks to Ryuuteimaru being a magical ship the controls of the ship could be changed into whatever he wished, however, because he has never driven anything in his life, he was taken off guard.

[Start the engine and turn the steering wheel, we are going ahead!] - Ddraig officially became the captain of the ship.

* * *

 **—-A Couple of Hours Later / Persian Gulf—-**

* * *

 **.**

After almost crashing the ship twice, Issei started to get the hang of it.

However, now the sun was high in the sky and was already passed the middle of it, so in few words, it was past mid-day.

Issei was now sitting at the back of the ship, Fuuki and Ericia were far at his sides doing whatever they wanted as they reached Iran.

Issei was with a fishing rod he bought just before coming to the Port. Ericia had a book on her hands and was reading it while laying down on a couch at the side. Her smooth, shiny skin and the beauty she had while looking like that was ridiculous, even for him to say.

Fuuki was sleeping on the other couch at his right, her head on a pillow and her body curled like a cat. Whenever they didn't do something important she would always fall asleep, a lazy Fox indeed.

Since the journey will take a day, and according to Ddraig he didn't need to always be at the steering wheel, he decided to try fishing. Azazel was fond of it, so it must be good.

Issei had to agree that fishing was relaxing. For now, he has only caught three middle-sized fish, they were going to be their dinner Tonight.

"Haaa..." - Ericia sighed, she was bored. Closing her book, she stood up from the couch and walked closer to Issei. Moving her hips sensually.

"Tell me something, I'm bored and I want to hear a story."

Issei was taken with the guard down and almost dropped his fishing rod into the sea due to his surprise.

"Something?" - He asked back.

"Yeah, whatever is fine." - She agreed and sat right at his side, waiting for him to start telling a story.

She was close to him, less than an arm away. One of her legs was crossed on top of the other, so her sexual appeal was obvious.

She had her normal black bodysuit, but the armour on it was completely gone. Leaving her pure white skin exposed and making Issei move his eyesight away from her long legs.

"I don't have something to talk about, you already know about pretty much everything." - He told her, trying to calm down.

Ericia then asked. - "You said you were once a pervert, How did that work out for you?" - She was curious

Issei was surprised at her question, but he just smirked and thought. - (Maybe this is a good way to start.)

He then answered. - "Awful."

"How so?" - She asked back.

While looking at the sea, he started to explain.

"Everyone treated me like trash. Now I know that my attitude was bad, but it still hurts being treated like that. Everyone treats you like filth, however, that was how I was. I wouldn't change how I was just to make some people I didn't even like to approve of me." - He shrugged his shoulders, those were his words and in a sense they were right.

The woman was quiet, not interrupting him.

"I know that my attitude at that point in time wasn't good, but I never crossed a line." - He added while turning to look at her.

"Sure, I peeped at them, but that was it. When my 'friends' tried to make me steal clothing or even worse, I stopped peeping and distanced myself from them. Unfortunately, that was just recently, at the beginning of this year. I don't know why they wanted to steal clothing nor what they actually wanted to do with it, but if things kept escalating like that, sooner or later, they would do something unforgivable." - He explained with a normal voice.

She was shocked at his words. - "You mean those friends of yours wanted to do something else!?" - She asked a rather important question.

He nodded his head and replied. - "Yes."

"Why did you get close to those types of people?!" - She asked with disgust at the mention of those guys.

"You see, ever since I was small aside from my parents and a close friend I had, there was no one else. Because of that, I grew up to be desperate in search of being close to others. And with the ones I'm close with I treat them even better than myself, maybe because I didn't want them to be away from me." - He explained to her.

"With those two, I valued that 'Friendship' we had even more than my life. That's why whatever they wanted to do and because I was afraid of no longer being friends with them, I followed after them just to 'fit' in that group of ours." - His words were shocking to say the least.

"Foolish, now that I think about it, but I realized that too late." - His tone sounded heavy, his life ever since after the War was certainly bad.

"What about the Supernatural World? You told us you were once normal, how did that change?"

She asked Issei, curious about his former life, that was something neither Fuuki nor her knew about him.

Issei looked into her eyes and sighed, he then talked about that part of his past.

"The moment I first discovered about the supernatural world was by accident. See, a girl told me that she loved me and wanted to go out with me, being the guy I was, I got far too excited. I thought about our future; Christmas, Birthdays, College life together, even Marriage, just like a fool. Due to that, to the fact that I was too open to everyone, I suffered." - He explained with an emotionless voice, as if what happened was to someone else.

"The first date resulted to be a trap. She was sent with the purpose of killing me because of the Sacred Gear I possess. She purposely waited till the end of our date and after it, everything I cared for was ruthlessly destroyed. My feelings became a squashed piece of meat on the ground, my mind was broken and at that moment, when I actually opened to the first woman aside from my mother..."

He looked at Ericia with cold eyes, obviously, not directed at her.

"She looked at me into my eyes, and stabbed me through my chest. Saying horrible words to a heartbroken dying man at the side of a fountain." - He turned his head away.

"After that, I was resurrected by a girl at my school. She resulted to be a Devil and I became her newest servant." - The Vampire was silently looking right at him.

"See, my life as a servant wasn't bad. I learned many things, among them how to control my Sacred Gear. Later on, I became closer to Ddraig, and due to being someone that didn't think of him as a weapon, we became quite close." - He smiled at that thought.

Ddraig was also smiling inside the Boosted Gear, he was happy at those words.

"After the Months passed, inside the Peerage we became close, almost like a family. For me, this was the best outcome I could have ever dreamt of! Beautiful women at my side that didn't treat me like filth, a close friend that I could call my brother, a Junior that idolized me as a role model." - He smiled at those words, a nostalgic air around him.

Ericia was silent, not daring to say a word, she just kept thinking about his words.

"Slowly, those women started to develop feelings for me, and as for me, well you can answer that on your own." - He turn to face her and told the beauty at his side.

After that, he saw Fuuki stand up from the couch and walk at his side, sitting on the opposite side of the Dragon and hugging his arm.

She was awake ever since Ericia asked him to tell her a story, however, after hearing the first question she just continued laying down, feigning sleep. But right now she stood up and went to his side, maybe as a sign of support for him to continue telling the story.

Issei saw her and understood what she was doing, he felt grateful to her.

He then looked at his fishing rod and continued talking. - "They fell deeply in love with me." - The pair of women already had their suspicions when he mentioned it before.

"But the how I actually confessed to the woman I 'loved' the most, was kind of forced. At some point, due to me having a trauma with women, I was afraid of getting closer to them, fearful over the fact of them doing the same as the first woman I loved once did to me." - He explained as he looked at the horizon.

"I created a mental barrier for me to not cross a line with a woman, but they didn't notice. When they started to seduce me, to make me cross a line and to finally say those words... I couldn't. I was afraid and mentally refused the fact of them falling in love with me. Thanks to that they exploded, reprimanding me for not understanding their feelings. The woman I loved the most was especially aggressive, she yelled at me, screamed at me, saying. 'Why couldn't I understand her!?' " - Issei was calmly explaining everything.

"The rest did notice how I couldn't understand her feelings and because of that, they reprimanded me saying; 'You're the worst!', 'How awful could you be?!', 'Why don't you understand!?', among others." - Both of the women were silent.

Hearing this was certainly quite bad, they as women could understand them a little, but explode like that to him? Sorry but that was just wrong.

Fuuki was especially affected. She has extremely strong feelings for Issei, but she could see how he was carrying something with him. And when spending time with him she also noticed how sometimes, he was uncomfortable, call it a woman's sixth sense.

So because of that she didn't push the matter, instead, she waited and started to get closer to Issei, and it was working. Now she understood a bit more about him, not the entire story, but some part of it.

Ericia was looking at him the entire time, she felt something on her chest when she saw him like that. That something made her feel awful, never would have she expected that he went through all of that due to some women that thought they understood him when they didn't even notice something was wrong with him.

Even her, that spent all of her life, fighting in a War noticed how Issei was sometimes acting weird. Now she understood why.

"After that, they left me alone to "think" - He quoted those words. - "About my mistakes."

"I spent quite some time thinking and talking to myself. At some point I said something that made me remember the first woman I loved. However, they heard it from the other side of the door since they were spying on me, and at that moment, they more-or-less understood what I was thinking. After some comforting and what not, we 'fixed' our relationship, but they still told me that I should apologize to Rias and tell her what I felt."

Unconsciously Issei slipped and said the name of the woman, both of them memorized it, something about her made their blood boil.

"After many things, during a Rating Game, I got too excited and screamed my feelings in front of everyone. Thanks to that our relationship became better, saying that she also loved me. And after some ups and downs, she finally became my girlfriend, the so-called woman I loved the most... end of the story." - Issei told them half of what he experienced, the other half will come when he feels that it's right.

The women were silent, thinking over his words. They were unsatisfied because they knew he was still keeping something, but just like until now they will give it time.

Issei pulled his fishing rod and with it another fish. Then he stood up, grabbed the bucket at his side filled with three fish, and went towards the control room of the boat.

He never looked back, but he felt how a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He knew that after some more time he would need to tell them what exactly he went through, but for now, he was happy at his progress.

[You did it, Partner. I'm happy for you, soon you will let all of that in the past. At that moment everything will change, I guarantee you!] - Ddraig told him with pride in his voice.

"Thanks, Ddraig. Slowly I'm improving, later on, I will finally leave all of this in the past." - He thanked the Dragon and reached the steering wheel.

"Now, where to?" - He smiled and asked the captain of the ship.

[Ha! Turn right and keep holding the steering wheel for a couple of minutes, we might arrive sooner than planned, the wind is on our side!] - He was happy at those words and did as mentioned. After that, the day went peacefully.

* * *

 **—-Some Hours Later—-**

* * *

 **.**

Seeing the coast of their possible destination, Issei yelled at Fuuki.

"Cast an illusion on us so that no body can see us." - The Fox nodded her head and used her abilities.

A mist covered the boat and the boat vanished from the waters.

Navigating towards the coast Issei was calmly driving the boat. The pair of women were at his sides, prepared for anything.

Thankfully everything went without a hitch and they reached the 'coast' of the country.

Seeing the rocky risk at the distance Issei screamed at them. - "We need to fly over! It shouldn't take much to reach solid land!"

They nodded at his words, Fuuki with a flirty smile as usual and Ericia with a smirk on her face.

After telling them his story the three of them felt closer to one another. Even Ericia was smiling even more in his presence, Fuuki was trying to stick even closer and Issei was actually letting her do it.

Seeing their changes, Issei was satisfied. It seems that everything went better than he thought.

"On Three!"- They nodded at his words.

"One, Two, Three!" - When he finished counting they jumped high into the air.

Issei dismissed his familiar, vanishing it from the sea.

They flew over the dark sea and reached a small risk of what they thought to be the coast of Iran.

All three of them landed perfectly, without a single error.

Then, they finally payed attention to the scenery of the new country they were at.

After spending less than a day in the sea, night finally covered this part of the World. The sky was a perfect deep blue, shining with many stars that seemed to be closer than they actually were. The moon was right above them, it appeared closer than ever before just a finger away, its perfect craters could be seen even without a telescope.

The view left the three of them without a breath. Not a single cloud covered the sky so everything could be seen without much trouble.

Issei was the first to look away, seeing now what was below them.

A huge risk was below them, a small beach was seen at the bottom of the risk, pointy rocks covered the vast majority of it. Not a single trace of sand, just rocks.

The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks was the only thing he could hear, and the sea breeze was the only thing he could smell.

The horizon was covered with stars, making the sea shine with a mysterious light.

Reaching his hand out he pointed at the horizon, they had come all the way from there.

A sense of accomplishment filled him, pride was everywhere inside his body. How many have they done what they just did? How many have the experience to tell; 'I crossed the entire Persian Gulf.' He was sure that not many were capable of this feat, and he was one of the few that actually did it.

"This is only the beginning." - Smiling, he turned around and looked at the women at his side, both of them still looking at the night sky.

"We need to reach a town or a city, we have to sleep somewhere." - His voice made the two women turn to look at him.

Understanding the indirect, Fuuki decided to use the Yasakani-No-Magatama.

They used the treasure only for this type of situations, not for everything. Traveling all over the world with only this was far too boring, it took away the emotion of traveling. So they only used it on special occasions or when it was needed, like now.

The familiar portal appeared in front of them.

"~I made it so that it gets us to the Capital!~" - The normal voice of the Fox was heard.

Issei was suspicious of her words but just sighed and nodded his head.

Walking through the portal he was the first to leave the risk, quickly followed by the Vampire and the Fox.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Capital of Iran, Tehran—-**

* * *

 **.**

Appearing at the top of an oddly built tower the three travelers came through the portal.

"~Where are we?~" - The Fox was the first to ask, Issei ignored those words that were just to tease him and looked around.

"Fuuki, where did you sent us?" - The Vampire asked the Fox who only shook her head, not knowing where they were at.

Issei went close to the edge of the building and looked around.

Below them, he saw a huge green plain with some people walking on it, seemingly looking around the place. He then found out where they were.

"You have a talent in sending us to the most random locations, Fuuki." - He was impressed where they ended up in.

"Ise, you know where we are?" - Ericia turned around and asked him, he only nodded with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah, I know where we are." - He then turned around and looked at them.

"Welcome to the 'Azadi Tower' in the Tehran!"

Those were his words. After the information settled in, they quickly widened their eyes in shock, they were at a rather famous place!

During the boat trip, Issei informed them about the special places here in Iran. And this was one of them, this tower, was one of the few.

It was an observation deck and also a museum which held an Underground part. The whole building was located at the Azadi Square. This location was an incredibly important piece of Architecture for the Iranians.

"Let's go. We need to look for a place to stay at." - Nodding at his words the three of them started to look for a door, quickly finding it just behind them.

After forcing it a little, it was opened.

They walked quietly down the stairs to avoid any suspicion and reached the bottom of the building. They soon opened the main door and went out to the square.

The artificial light of the building and the square illuminated everything without a problem. Some humans were walking around the place but because it was late at night not many were seen.

Crossing the entire Square they reached a small bridge that took them inside the city.

All of this time was spent looking around and talking about random things amongst themselves, mainly about the country and its History.

The City was really active during the night, many restaurants were open and even some stores were as well.

Reaching the center of the city, they found the Hotel Area. Seeing a rather beautiful building at the corner of the street, all of them got their interest peaked and walked closer to it.

They couldn't read the words at the facade of the building but they did understand a specific word, 'Hotel'.

They looked at each other, nodded their heads, and went inside the place.

Due to being late at night the Hotel obviously didn't accept any guests, but after some magic cast by Fuuki, everything went smoothly. They got a huge single room for more than three people, but since it was the only one available they had no other choice.

They were guided by the bellman to their room. A small kid not even in his teens.

Thanking him, they entered the big room.

A huge hall with a big living room was what filled their view. The place was big and open and at the bottom of the hall, there was a huge window that covered the entire wall. Two doors were the only thing aside from the living room, each at one side of the Hall.

The whole place looked quite expensive and thanks to the furniture, it actually was expensive.

"Our rooms are separated, mine is on the left and yours on the right. Have a good night, we'll talk more tomorrow, for now let's rest." - Issei walked towards the left door and opened it, walking inside. He then turned around and said. - "Goodnight!" - He even smiled at them

Ericia just nodded her head at his words while Fuuki smiled at him and said. - "~Goodnight!~" - As well.

Afterwards, they were both looking around the place they currently were at. But Fuuki, in Ericia's eyes, was acting suspiciously. She seemed eager about something, she even had a weird smile on her face.

Ericia then turned the lights off and went towards her room, however, the Fox did the opposite. She walked towards the room of Issei, grabbed the doorknob, and started to gently turn it.

But before she could open it, a hand gripped her right shoulder.

"What are you doing?" - Ericia asked while looking at the Fox with a not too friendly look in her eyes.

"~I'm going to sleep with Ise!~" - That was her response, the Vampire had a twitching eyebrow due to her answer.

"And why is that?" - She asked back.

"~Because I want to be closer to him, and nothing like sleeping together!~" - Her words sounded, logical?

"No, you won't." - Ericia didn't like the idea of her sleeping with Ise, maybe even something else could happen. That thought alone made her feel sick, really sick. Therefore, she decided to not let the Fox sleep with him.

"You're coming with me." - With a cold and serious voice, Ericia grabbed the resisting Fuuki by the neck and dragged her to the room.

"~NOOOO!~" - She screamed as she tried to free herself, but it proved useless.

"Why are you not permitting me to sleep with Ise?!" - Fuuki yelled at Ericia with a shocked voice.

"Because I don't like the idea of you sleeping with him, you might do something else." - That was her response.

Hearing this Fuuki was astounded, never would have she thought that the Vampire would say that!

"~Don't tell me you also love Ise?~" - That question hit her like a hammer.

"...…" - However, she didn't answer.

Instead, she grabbed the Fox with greater strength and threw her inside her room.

Closing the door and ignoring the pleas of help, she stayed outside.

(That can't be true!) - She shook her head, refusing to believe Fuuki's words.

Her face had a decent blush and her thoughts started to spin, quite the opposite from the normal Ericia.

(I don't like—) - She stopped her thoughts and started to remember everything she went through with Issei. Her eyes held confusion and her face was bright red.

Silence was her only answer.

After being like that for some time, she gave up thinking about it. She then opened the door of her room and closed it, completely ignoring the thoughts she just had.

Fuuki saw her blushing face and smiled, it seems her guess was right, even if the Vampire denied it.

Although she disliked the idea of another woman being with Issei, she needed help in making him open up. And since the Vampire was starting to experience these feelings, there was not a better companion for her plan to succeed!

(~HuHuHu~ It seems Issei will fall earlier than I thought.) - She licked her lips sensually.

If the Vampire allied herself with her then everything will go twice as fast with half the effort! And although she didn't like the idea of sharing him with another woman, it was far better than him not falling in love with anyone at all.

With those thoughts on her head, she laid down on her bed covered herself, and went to sleep. For now, she needed to get closer to him and help Ericia out a little. With a mischievous smirk the Fox went to sleep.

* * *

 **—-Some Days Later / City Center—-**

* * *

 **.**

The three of them were walking in the city center, the part of any country that was the most interesting to be at.

Seeing the stores at the sides and the little businesses on the streets covering part of the road, they looked around, curiosity in their eyes. Ever since first coming to Iran they went to really common tourist attractions and some rather... special places.

They never thought that they could ski here, seemingly this place has pretty much everything. So after spending their time looking and messing around for a few days, they decided to go to the city center.

A lot of people was seen everywhere, most of them humans. Of course, others were supernatural beings, but they just ignored them.

As they continued walking, Issei spotted something that took his attention.

Walking close to a shop window he saw something tapped at the other side of it. His interest peaked, he read it.

" _Looking for personnel for an excursion to the east of Iran. Suspicions of possible ruins in the middle of an unexplored and dangerous Jungle. Looking for volunteers, they need to have their own gear and enough courage. No pay will be given but if anything is found it would be distributed accordingly." -_ After casting his translation spell, Issei read the piece of paper.

(Such horrible conditions, no wonder they don't have enough people.) - He then turned back and looked at the shop in question. An old antique shop was his guess. No sign was on the shop's facade but many things were inside it.

(Seems interesting.) - He was thinking of going inside the store.

Thinking for a few moments he saw the pair of women come close to him, they were just on the other store at the side of the road.

"What's up Issei?" - Ericia asked him as she saw the store in front of him.

"~Ise?~-" - Fuuki asked as she looked at him.

"Sorry about that I was only thinking about this." - Turning around, he pointed at the piece of paper on the window with his thumb.

The women got closer and read it as well. A curious look was present on Ericia's face, and on Fuuki's, there was a mysterious light in her eyes.

The women looked at each other and smirked, then they grabbed Ise by both of his arms and dragged him inside the shop. He couldn't even say something before they crossed the entrance to the shop.

*Ring!* - The sound of a bell ringing echoed inside the store.

After some seconds, steps were heard and in the room they were currently in, a middle-aged man maybe around his early thirties came to greet them.

The man was not a normal human, they felt the presence of a Sacred Gear in him. He had long, black, messy hair that reached below his shoulders and a perfect chin beard. He had brown eyes that were filled with maturity, and he had a healthy tanned skin.

He was a head taller than Issei, maybe around 6 foot 6. He wore, worn military pants with brown combat boots and a military tank-top, showing off his muscular arms.

Issei finally freed himself from the grasps of the pair of women. Ignoring the man, he looked around and saw the dusty shop they were currently in.

The entire place was quite messy, having multiple things scattered across the floor such as; books, ceramics, bases, and dust, a lot of dust.

The walls were painted in a brown tone and some bookcases could be seen against them. Weird titled books not even Issei knew about were on the shelves, gathering dust.

The most interesting things in the store were; maps, pieces of armours and some swords that emitted a magical aura, clearly not your normal piece of equipment.

"Who are you?" - The man spoke with pretty good English, much to Issei's surprise.

Issei stepped in front of him and looked into his eyes.

With his cold and sharp voice he talked. - "We got interested in the paper tapped on your window so we came to ask more about it." - His voice shocked the old man, but he just nodded his head and said. - "Follow me."

Then he crossed the curtains at the bottom of the room, the three of them right behind him.

After walking across the curtains they reached another room, this one being far cleaner and more good looking.

The place was small and aside from a roundtable, a couple of chairs, and bookcases against the walls, there was nothing more. The man sat on a chair near the table and looked at them.

"Sit wherever you want." - His voice casual.

Issei walked to the opposite side of the man and sat on a chair that was near him. The two women were behind him, looking at the things on the table with curious eyes.

"So you wish to become part of the expedition?" - The man asked as he lit a cigarette.

"Sounds interesting." - That was Ise's reply.

"Interesting? You could lose your life!" - He tried to scare them off but it didn't work in the slightest.

"And? What's your point?" - Hearing the response of Issei, the man looked at him with a fierce glare.

"Huh?" - He was stupefied. - "Possibly you won't come back from this journey, you will probably die even before reaching the location! I don't want to go with useless people that will—" - His words stopped as he felt something against his neck.

Issei was still sitting on the chair, his feet on the table. However, Ericia and Fuuki were behind the man.

The first with her nails against his throat and the second with a dense Senjutsu hexagon pointed at his head, ready to blow him to pieces at any moment.

"Okay, I understand that you don't want someone weak at you side for this. But, don't you think it's too much for a simple test?" - Issei explained as the man was sweating bullets.

"How about you tell us more about this expedition and then you'll decide if we are worthy of going or not." - He then looked at the pair of women behind the man, silently communicating with only his eyes, telling them to come back.

Ericia scoffed and retrieved her hand, slowly walking towards Issei. Fuuki got rid her Senjutsu and did the same.

The man was pale, never has he felt so close to death before!

"You saw that we are no normal beings, we do know about the supernatural. So cut the crap and start explaining! I do know you're no normal human, Sacred Gear possessor." - He smirked just like the Devil and, in a sense, threatened the man in front of them.

The thirty-year-old man was bitting his lip, never would have he thought these brats were actually monsters!

"Fine." - He put out his cigarettes and grabbed a long parchment on the table. Extending it, it soon covered the whole table.

"This is a map that was found by my father many years ago. This guides us to some undiscovered ruins in the east part of the country." - He pointed at the well-elaborated map and said to them.

Looking at the map, Issei was secretly surprised. It was really well made, extremely detailed.

(I wonder what this thing hides...) - He thought as he discreetly looked at the women behind him.

They were also surprised, one more than the other.

"My father didn't specify where he got it but he did say that the map guides you to the ruins of an ancient civilization! Ruins no one has even heard about! Ruins that have many riches!" - The man was definitely excited.

"I'm looking for people that don't fear death! I have gone to the place before but the path is too dangerous, with many animals and plants that could kill human beings in the blink of an eye!" - He tried to scare them but it proved ineffective.

"I have gone before, but even I almost didn't tell the tale. I have invested everything on this last expedition in hopes of finally finding them, that's why I need capable people!" - He finished explaining, Issei was still as stoic as ever.

"Hmm..." - That was his only answer, he then turned around and looked at his team.

"What do you think?" - Issei asked his team.

"Sounds interesting. Besides we already went to pretty much every place of our interest here, so why not?" - Ericia was the one that answered.

"Fukki?" - He asked the other woman.

"~No Problem!~" - Her flirty voice made him smirk.

(Ddraig?) - He asked his Partner.

[No problem at all.] - That was his answer.

Smiling Issei turned around and looked at the man in question.

"It seems you just got three new companions, when do we part?" - He smiled at him in a threatening way, it was clear for all that a 'no' wasn't an answer.

Fearful towards the young man, the owner of the store nodded his head and answered. - "You're lucky, we are leaving tomorrow. Aside from us four, six more people amongst them my son will come with us." - He told the three of them.

"Where do we meet?" - He asked the man, satisfied with his response.

"Tomorrow, at 5 A.M sharp, here in the shop. We'll part from here and after a long car journey we should reach the Jungle in a day or so."

Issei nodded and lifted his feet off the table, then he stood up and looked at the man.

"Understood, by the way my name is Hyoudou Issei. The women behind me are Ericia and Fuuki a pleasure being with you in this expedition." - He smirked.

That same smile scared the man a little, but since they were going to be together during this he needed to accustom himself to it.

"My name is Behnam Mirza, a pleasure." - He extended his hand to perform a handshake, Issei nodded and completed the handshake.

"See you tomorrow, Behnam." - Issei turned around and walked out of the room, the two women following him.

After leaving the room and hearing the bell at the entrance ring, the man finally relaxed and fell down to his chair.

"What are they?! They don't feel like human beings at all!" - He has met a couple of Devils before, but aside from that, his contact with the supernatural was extremely small.

He even knew that he had a Sacred Gear! That was no normal feat!

"Oh, Allah. Please protect me and my son during this trip..." - He muttered as he lit another cigarette.

Meanwhile, the team was walking in the center of the city, talking about their new adventure.

"Whose ruins do you think they are Issei?" - The Vampire asked the cultured man.

"That, I do not know. Many things happened here after many eras, so it could be almost everything. Sumerians, Persians, Buddhism, I think even Christians, but of that I'm not sure." - Those were Issei's guesses, but he wouldn't know unless they went there.

"~Sounds intriguing!~" - The fox told them, they had to agree with her words, this was certainly quite the mystery.

"Indeed it is." - Ericia smirked with satisfaction while Issei looked at them, a small smile adorning his face.

(I wonder what exactly is going to happen now...) - He thought as the three of them got lost inside the croud of people.

* * *

 **—-Tomorrow, Early in the Morning / Meeting Point—-**

* * *

 **.**

"Father! Exactly who else is coming with us?" - A young man maybe in his early twenties asked the one known as Behnam.

He was fit but not tall and was a head smaller than his father. He had shortly-trimmed black hair and hazel eyes, making him stand out.

He wore a short-sleeved black t-shirt as well as form-fitting dark-blue cargo pants. Alongside them, he had a pair of construction boots, brown in color with a yellow sole.

"Be patient Jesper! They will come soon, it's not even late yet!" - The man crossed his arms and scolded his son.

Exactly after his words they saw a group of three coming towards them. All the men, aside from Behnam that had a serious glint in his eyes, were surprised.

The group of three was guided by a really dangerous looking male.

He had black eyes similar to an abyss that held a red tinge to them. His hair was dark brown in color but it was far closer to black. His height was tall, maybe the second tallest aside from Behnam, his clothes were a grey coat and a black shirt with black pants, completing his get up with brown boots reaching his knees.

The six men sitting in the pair of Jeeps were shocked, not by him, but rather by his companions.

The two most beautiful women they have ever seen were at both of his sides.

One had white hair and red eyes, giving off a threatening vibe. The other had pitch black hair and also red eyes, her entire being emitted a cautious feeling.

They were both beautiful, and they were sure that just a smile from either of them could cause any man to fall in love.

"Sorry we're late, I thought we still had some time." - Issei told Behnam with a direct tone of voice.

He just answered. - "Don't worry, it's not even 5 A.M so it's not late at all." - He explained while walking close to them.

"I see. Then it's perfect." - Issei was glad they made it on time but before anything else, the young man at the side of Behnam spoke.

"My name is Jesper, Jesper Mirza! A pleasure to be with you ladies." - He did a small reverence to the women that only ignored him.

"Let's get going!" - Behnam noticed the look in his son's eyes so he decided to intervene before something went out of control.

Everyone heard his words and started to get inside the Jeeps, preparing for the journey. Issei went to a Jeep that was almost empty.

Getting inside, he went towards the back part of the vehicle and sat on it. It seemed that the Jeep was a convertible so it was quite comfortable.

The girls ignored Jesper and sat at both sides of Issei.

Before departing Behnam grabbed Jesper and took him to the side.

"Don't try anything with any of them! They are not normal at all, even for us to say! So don't piss anyone of them off! Especially the young man, he's dangerous." - He advised his son, who only rolled his eyes as a response.

"Pfft! Don't worry, nothing will happen. Now let's get going!" - He turned around and went to the Jeep that had the women.

"Oh, Allah. Please help us in this journey." - He then went to the Jeep that was only missing a driver and sat at the driver's position. He was with his son, and unfortunately, with that young man.

*VROOM!* - He started the car and soon left, slowly being followed by the other Jeep.

After leaving the city the roads were completely empty not even a car, aside from the pair of Jeeps, was near.

The scenery was beautiful, a concrete road that had some trees on both sides, mountains could be seen in the distance and the clear blue sky was empty from any cloud. The road was quiet and peaceful, that was only before a certain young man started to talk.

Issei had both of his eyes closed, leaning all the way over his center seat, enjoying the breeze of the air that hit his head.

Ericia was calm, only looking at the side thinking who knows what.

Fuuki was trying her best not to move, she was leaning on Issei's shoulder faking being asleep. But her small Heaven was destroyed by the voice of someone.

"So what are you doing here? Beautiful women like yourselves coming with us seems intriguing. Don't take my words wrongly I'm only curious." - Jesper turned around and started a conversation.

His words aroused Issei from his nap and made him move himself, much to Fuuki's displeasure. Ericia just glanced at him and then looked back at the scenery again.

"...…" - No one answered, everyone was just ignoring him.

Issei looking at the blue sky, Ericia looking towards the passing trees, and Fuuki trying her best to lean her head on Ise's shoulder again.

"So what made you decide coming with us?" - Jesper didn't give up, so he asked again.

Sighing in defeat Ericia was the one that answered with a voice full of thorns.

"None of your business." - Her voice was sharp, and made the smiling young man gain a drop of sweat on his cheek.

(I won't give up that easily!)

"Is that so. But we are going to be together for some time, so why not know each other better?" - He proposed but the three of them ignored him again.

"I'll start. You already know my name so I'll tell you something else. I have a Sacred Gear! And a really good one!" - His words were filled with pride but the pair of women ignored him.

His father was so shocked he almost lost control of the vehicle.

(That's not something you tell others?!) - His thoughts were right, telling someone about that will essentially paint a target on your back.

"Oh..." - Seeing that the guy was too pitiful Issei answered, but his response almost made the young man cough blood. It seemed as he was just angering him.

(You dumb piece of—) - Swearing inside his head, Jesper was angered. Then on his left arm, a red, fingerless gauntlet appeared. Seeing the gauntlet, Issei was surprised and was also internally laughing.

(It seems that thing is really common.) - Jesper seeing the small light of surprise in Issei's eyes smiled as if being superior.

"Ha! It seems you're surprised! Well let me tell you, this is a rare Sacred Gear named 'Twice Critical'! It's capable of doubling my entire strength for a specific amount of time!" - He was too proud for having something like that.

Seeing the gauntlet Fuuki for the first time talked.

"~Oh!~ The lower version of the Boosted Gear and a common Sacred Gear, quite ironic seeing it here." - The last words were directed towards a certain man at her side.

Issei just ignored her words while trying to hold his laugh, Ericia was also almost the same.

"Haaa!? Common?! Certainly compared to the Boosted Gear it's not much, but it still is a powerful Sacred Gear!"

[(No it's not.)] - Both of the Dragons thought.

Seeing the mocking glare in Issei's eyes Jesper was angered.

"What are you laughing at!? You don't even have a Sacred Gear, you're just a normal human!" - His words this time made Issei angry, his left eyebrow was twitching.

"Sorry, what did you say?" - His tongue seemed to be filled with venom.

Since he was a Dragon he hated being confused with something else. Even if he was first a Human he still doesn't like being called like that, let's say it brings back bad memories.

Jesper was slightly scared at his tone, but ignorance is a bliss. He wanted to impress the women at his sides so he was too courageous.

Behnam thought. - (You dumb piece of shit! The first thing I tell you not to do and there you go do it!?) - He was cursing at him, but because he was driving he couldn't grab his son and give him a beating.

"You heard me! A normal human shouldn't make fun of something like this! You have no right to!" - Issei thought differently.

(I have the Boosted Gear that alone is sufficient to make you shut up! But you wish to impress both Fuuki and Ericia by insulting me? Do you think I'll let you do it!?)

Ddraig agreed with his partner. - [Scare him a little Partner, he should be taught respect.] - Issei smiled at the Dragon's words.

(Fine by me!) - He then prepared to mess with the human a little.

"You dare call me a Human? Open your eyes wide brat, I'm no human!" - He then released a bit of his Aura and changed his eyes into those of a reptile.

Both of the Humans were shocked, Jesper at seeing those eyes and Behnam at sensing that horrific aura!

(What the fuck is he?!) - Those were Jasper's thoughts as he stared at the man with shock.

(Oh Shit! Allah, please tell me you're fucking with me!) - Behnam was more knowledgeable, he read about certain species a long time ago, thought to be the strongest and also the proudest.

"You don't even recognize what I am? I'll give you a hint, to what species is related that Sacred Gear of yours?"

Behnam was frightened at those words, he was right! The thing that was sitting right behind him was nothing less than a Dragon!

(Son of a bitch!) - That was his response.

Meanwhile, Jesper was thinking. - (Related to my Sacred Gear? The only thing related to my Sacred Gear is a Dra—) - Widening his eyes at the realization he felt as if a truck just hit him.

"Y-You a-are a D-Dragon?!" - He stammered in his response.

"It seems you do have a brain. Yes, I'm indeed a Dragon!" - Looking into the eyes of the Human Issei smiled.

Jesper was left without words, then he looked at the women and asked. - "T-Then Y-You a-are—"

He was interrupted by the words of Ericia. - "No we aren't Dragons." - He signed in relief.

"But we aren't Human." - He swallowed his spit in shock.

"T-Then?" - He stuttered and asked.

"I'm a Vampire." - Scaring him with her red eyes, Ericia answered his question.

Jesper just turned to look at the other beauty.

"~I'm a Yōkai!~" - Her voice carefree, as it was something common and normal.

Jesper was astounded! He never thought that different creatures would be sitting right behind him!

Behnam was just driving, he decided to just ignore everything and look at the beautiful scenery.

(Wow! Look what a beautiful place, filled with vegetation and animals, trees and flowers.) - Nothing aside of big grey rocks were in front of him, so he was definitely in shock.

Jesper turned around and sat in silence, not messing with anyone again. He was lost in his own thoughts not paying attention to anything else.

The three of them smirked and laughed discreetly.

*Smack!* - Ericia and Issei did a high five while smiling at each other.

Fuuki just covered her laugh by leaning her head on Issei's shoulder, he just smirked at her actions and caressed her head a little, maybe to prove to her that she did an excellent job. Their plan thought in the spot actually worked, and better than he thought!

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Jungle in Iran / A Day Later—-**

* * *

 **.**

After the little 'experience' in the car, no one dared to talk. Due to that, the journey was really peaceful in Ise's eyes, and now they finally reached their destination.

Getting down from the Jeep, they saw a really deep and thick Jungle. Tall trees, putting some buildings back at the capital in shame, could be seen everywhere. Vines were all over the place, and for the first-time different animal noises were heard.

"This is our destination! We need to go by foot from here on." - Behnam told all of the team.

The rest just nodded.

All of the men took different tools, some took out machetes to cut the vegetation down, others took rifles and guns to protect themselves, but Behnam just took a simple looking sword. However, Ise and the girls felt a rather peculiar aura that was emitting from the sword.

(A Sacred Gear that is a Holy Sword, probably a replica of a famous one.) - Those were Ise's guesses.

"Let's go! We need to reach the ruins before nightfall!" - Behnam went at the front and started to guide. Jesper was right behind him with the map open, trying to guide them through the best route.

The six men were just behind them, cautiously looking at the sides.

Issei and the girls were at the far back, relaxing and enjoying the view, sometimes they even talked about the random stuff, laughing and joking among themselves not bothered by the Jungle at all.

They soon went deep inside the Jungle. Clearing the vegetation with whatever they had, they went further in.

After less than three hours they could only see thick plants and vines everywhere, trees covered the majority of the sky and the humidity of the place was terrible.

Through their small journey, they did find rather dangerous animals; Panthers, Leopards, Gorillas, Venomous Snakes, Spiders that could kill a human with a single bite, among other weird things.

After walking through the Jungle and seeing the rocks covered in moss, the spider webs carefully placed so that they caught something to eat, and the many carnivorous animals, the humans began to get desperate.

Walking through a dangerous Jungle in such a bad climate with the terrible heat and the humidity, took a toll on their stamina. Actually, some of the men that came with them already gave up, well they were just normal humans so they couldn't be blamed.

Thankfully, those guys got lucky and didn't die in the journey up until now. But the journey back was a different story, they wished them the best.

Behnam continued guiding them through the messy and humid Jungle, due to the heat Issei took his coat off and kept it inside his personal dimension. Ericia was at his left side looking around the place, a bored look on her face. Fuuki was walking in front of them acting as a guide.

"Issei, where do you think we will end up in?" - Ericia talked to him as she was walking at his side.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, it sure is away from civilization." - Issei didn't even know where they were currently at, so he just expected to find something.

"Haa... I hope anything will happen soon." - Those were Ericia's words.

Seeing her like that Ise rested a hand on her shoulder making her look at him.

"Don't worry about it, my guess is that we will soon reach the place, call it instinct." - Ericia was grateful at his words, however, her mind played a slight trick on her and made her recall that night at the hotel and the words from Fuuki.

(NO! I don't think of him like that!) - Trying to hide the blush on her cheeks, Ericia turned around and tried to keep herself in check. But she wouldn't stop thinking about every special moment she spent with him.

From the moment they first met, to their training routines, to the words they talked during that Night at Nasuno, to his explanation back at the Persian Gulf, to even the meaningless conversations they had ever since their first meeting. All of those things made her experience a clash of feelings, a part of her liked the fact of being with him like until now, and another just wished to become even closer.

After walking with those thoughts in her mind they were forced to stop.

Before them, Behnam, Jesper, and Fuuki were looking at the map, staring at it as if something was wrong.

"What's the problem?" - Issei asked them while being cautious of his surroundings.

"About that..." - Behnam was the first to talk. Sensing that something was wrong Issei stepped closer and looked at the map.

It looked really ancient, still made of an animal's leather. Drawn on it there was the Jungle alongside a couple of clues for them to notice that they were actually following the right path.

At the bottom of the map, there was what he believed to be the entrance to the Jungle. Following the red-dotted line they reached the first proof of them following the right path.

It was a huge rock, but on its surface, a perfectly engraved eight-pointed star could be seen. They had seen the rock before, it was five meters in height and the engraving covered its entire surface, so it was kind of hard to miss. That was the first clue, they passed it hours ago.

Following the path, there was the second clue, a tree trunk that crossed an entire waterfall. Many vines were drawn on it, and it looked extremely detailed and well made. It was a bridge, they passed that around an hour ago if Ise's guess wasn't wrong.

The third clue was more special, it was actually a sculpture, or rather, a natural rock formation in the shape of something.

It was a Bull, or at least, that was the general image it had.

Apparently, some rock formation had the shape of a Bull's face and teeth alongside its eyes. And the shrubbery of the mountain with a couple of flowers gave form to its fur.

The dotted line then went down the Bull and finally reached the final destination. It looked like a temple or the ruins of one. That's when the problem presented itself.

They hadn't seen the Bull, but that was the least of their problems.

In front of them, there was nothing, no more path to walk on, just plain nothing.

"Shit! Not again. Why does it always ends like this?! Always that stupid Bull is the problem!" - Behnam was screaming with a lot of anger and rage.

They could understand him, after all, he should have spent a lot of his time, resources, and effort coming here.

The path was rough for any Human, so coming here was not easy, and spending your own money alongside your time, not just once but many times and in the end never finding anything could be quite frustrating.

Issei went closer to him and grabbed the map, he thought of something rather obvious.

He went to the edge of the cliff and peaked, but he didn't find anything at all. The trees below him were the only thing that filled his view.

(This shouldn't be right. There's something we are missing...) - He thought and looked around, thinking of a possible solution, the map was his only clue.

(Mmmmm...) - He searched all over it but he didn't find anything.

Then Jesper angrily grabbed the map in his hands and yelled.

"Nothing! Absolutely Nothing?! This map is a farce! All of this is a farce!" - His emotions were made a mess and his Twice Critical appeared on his left arm.

"All for nothing!" - He yelled, a red aura surrounded him, it seems his Sacred Gear was activated.

*BAAAM!* - In his fury Jesper kicked a big rock, around the height of a tall human.

The rock was sent flying and went down the risk, Issei casually dodged it since he was at the edge of the same cliff.

(Don't make a tantrum.) - He thought as he turned around and looked at the view of the cliff.

* * *

.

Issei stood there for some minutes but then he noticed something that should have happened.

(Mmm? How tall is this risk? The rock should have already reached the ground by now.) - He peaked over the edge again and looked, but he didn't saw a thing.

"Wait..." - His thoughts started to spin.

(Ddraig... What do you think about this?) - He needed a second opinion, so he asked his Partner.

[Odd, if you ask me. That rock is big enough to actually make a mess when it lands, but there's nothing... quite odd.]

Due to the mass of the rock and the initial force it was given when sent flying, plus the gravity, it should have broken a few trees and with that, a huge noise should have been heard, but neither of the two happened.

"Hmm..." - Issei started to think.

[What are you thinking Partner?] - Ddraig was quite curious.

(What if the ruins are not man-made? What if 'Someone' else made them and hid them from the eyes of Humans?)

His words managed to make Ddraig think deeply.

[It's possible, ruins of supernatural beings... they aren't unheard of, but are rather rare, even more so in the Human World.] - He told his Partner.

"There's only one way to figure it out!" - His words were loud enough to be heard by everyone, but before they could ask what he meant, Issei jumped off the cliff!

""Ise!"" - The women screamed when they saw that, they knew nothing wrong would happen to him from this height, but seeing him jump off like that made their hearts reach their throats.

They ran at the edge but they didn't see a thing, nothing was present.

Not seeing him made the both of them feel like something clogged their throats, even their hearts seemed to stop for a moment.

""Issei!"" - They screamed again this time louder, worry was a distinct emotion on their voices.

Jesper and Behnam thought. - ((Why did he jump?! Is he suicidal?!)) - They were frozen on their spots only thinking about the Dragon.

The four of them peaked over the risk. They only saw more Jungle below them but aside from that, nothing else could be seen, this weird them out.

After some seconds that felt like hours all of them saw a black blur flying at an impossible speed. It came from the bottom of the risk and reached their location almost instantly.

"I found it." - Issei was floating right above their heads and with a normal tone of voice he told the four of them.

Not understanding what just happened Behnam and Jasper just looked at the pitch black wings of Issei.

(So that's a Dragon...) - Behnam thought as he saw those weird black wings that appeared to be floating above Issei's back.

"...…" - Jasper was silent, not really believing what was in front of him. And because of that, he was just silently staring at him with wide eyes.

"Issei! What were you thinking?!" - Ericia screamed at him in frustration and anger.

"What were you thinking?! You scared the life out of us!" - Weirdly enough, Fuuki was scolding him.

Seeing them like that, Issei smirked angering the women even more, but his thoughts were different.

(It seems they really worried about me after the little stunt I pulled.) - He was happy that they really cared for him, but before they could scold him more, he spoke.

"If you wish to know why I did it, then come down." - He crossed his arms against his chest and just looked at them, then he flew down.

The four remaining people looked over the risk but yet again saw nothing.

Ericia and Fuuki looked at each other and nodded their heads.

Fuuki then created a Senjutsu circle at the side of the risk, big enough for all to stand on. Afterwards, she looked at the two humans.

"Get over here." - Her words were short, but the men soon walked closer and stood over the circle.

Then with all the people on board the magic circle started to float and slowly descended down the risk.

* * *

.

The journey was slow maybe because Fuuki was being cautious about the location.

While descending the four of them looked around and found nothing in particular, just a huge risk behind them and a lot of Jungle up front, but some seconds later those thoughts were gone.

*BAAANG!* - The Senjutsu circle Fuuki made hit something right below them, impeding their movement.

Ericia was surprised, so while moving towards the edge of the circle she peaked down below trying to figure out what just happened.

Looking around she finally saw something. She tilted her head and watched what it looked like some kind of ripple right below her, it looked as if a drop of water fell towards a pond.

After some thinking she reached a conclusion - "A barrier."

Her words made Fuuki widen her eyes slightly while the other two passengers seemed really confused.

Fuuki now understood why they couldn't see anything below them! She was surprised that Issei figured this one out, her Dragon was quite smart.

She then decided to increase the amount of power on her spell. After pumping more energy into it, the many different engravings on it became much more visible, even the 'Taijitu' symbol at the center seemed more vivid and lifelike.

After some resistance, thanks to the barrier below them, the circle slowly started to breach the transparent dome down below.

After some thought, she discovered that this barrier was built not only for hiding something but also to destroy whatever came into contact with it.

She then frowned and started to prepare something. Both of her hands started to glow with different lights, black for her left and white for her right. Many, much smaller Senjutsu circles started to encircle her wrists, spinning constantly.

She then slowly moved as if she was dancing, making different stances in less than 10 seconds, after that she stopped moving and extended her left hand up and her right hand down. The light on both of her hands became dimmer and after some seconds it was gone.

Afterwards, many different engravings appeared on the circle below her and started to form a sphere covering all inside of it. The sphere had many different symbols that no one could understand, but they left it all behind when they started to move downwards.

Soon, they passed through the barrier and saw a different scenery from the one before.

They saw something they never expected to see.

Finally landing on the ground and dissipating the black and white sphere, all of the present saw what one would call an Ancient Golden City.

The entire location was golden in color as if made out of pure gold, with only a few parts being black or white.

Everything looked brand new as if the city was recently built. The orange sun was behind the whole city and gave it a vivid, reddish glow that made everything in front of them shine with an elegant light

The buildings at both of their sides looked like houses, of course, much older and not advanced at all. Engravings with either drawings or what they thought of as writing, could be seen in all of their walls and in all of the houses.

The place didn't look old, but the style of architecture, as well as the location itself, looked an felt ancient. More so than many ruins in the whole world.

Admiring the golden scenery, Ericia slowly turned around and looked right behind her.

She saw the something that they were looking for.

"The Bull." - Her words were loud enough for the rest of them to hear.

They quickly turned around and saw a big Bull against the stone wall, right behind them. As if it was man-made, the Bull almost looked chiselled against the wall, but some parts of it proved that it was natural.

Its 'fur' was filled with golden flowers and on its eyes, there were big red gems. Its teeth were also made out of stone but they actually looked sharp enough to pierce through flesh, even the horns looked the same.

"Where are we?" - Fuuki asked to no one in particular. But contrary to everyone's expectations, a voice was heard, answering her question.

"That, I do not know." - They turned and looked at the origin of the voice ready for anything. However, they only saw Issei who was leaning against a nearby golden pillar and was smirking at them.

Issei saw their faces and actually held back a small laugh. He saw them descend and thought about something to make a good entrance. Nothing like the good-old, cool pose of leaning against something while looking uninterested, he mentally thanked all of those moments with either Azazel or Vali.

But the expressions that were written on their faces were rather... interesting.

Ericia and Fuuki looked at him with similar but different expressions.

Ericia looked amazed and a slight blush could be seen on her cheeks, she turned her head away not wanting to keep eye contact for long.

Meanwhile, Fuuki looked at him with almost hearts on her eyes. That look scared Issei slightly, however, he played it smooth and just ignored it.

Behnam and Jesper looked shocked and startled respectively. Their mouths were open and both of them looked ridiculous, but he already guessed why, after all, they saw him jump off a risk twice just to only appear before them as if nothing happened.

"I think we should look around this place and find out where we are exactly." - Issei's words brought everyone out of their daydreaming.

"I agree." - Behnam nodded his head and started to look around, then he proposed. - "How about my son and I check the surrounding buildings and you check the center?"

Behnam knew that this place was far from normal thanks to the fact that there was some magic cast all over the ancient city. That barrier was the proof of it, he knew that if anyone touched it they would become dust in the wind. So he thought about searching the not so dangerous or obvious places that the golden city had.

He then pointed at the tallest building here, a golden pyramid-like structure that dwarfed everything near. He then said.

"You should go there, something must be at the top. Meanwhile, both my son and I will look around this place. If we find anything at all we will tell you!"

Jasper was about to say something but seeing the glare in his father eyes directed at him he stopped himself from doing it. He just stayed silent, that look in his father's eyes really scared him, never has he seen his father like that.

"Then so be it." - Issei agreed with him, but he didn't let Behnam plot go unnoticed, he just decided to ignore it since it wouldn't harm them at all. He knew that even if they found anything at all the best should be at the center, but being cautious like that was something he could respect.

He stopped leaning against the pillar and started to walk away, towards the center of the golden city. His hands were in his pockets and both of his eyes never left the majestic building ahead.

Fuuki and Ericia also discovered the little human's plot but ignored it as well.

Fuuki scoffed at them and walked towards Issei not sparing a glance at all.

Ericia just walked after her, repulsion written on her face.

After seeing them reach the center of the city Behnam sighed and talked to his son.

"Well, we need to get as much as we can from the outside buildings, it's better if we hurry."

Although the place looked safe, Behnam was feeling unsure. His gut told him to hurry so he just told his son and started moving towards a nearby building.

Jesper just stood there, unmoving, but soon after he thought the same as his father and went to the other side of the 'house' his father was in. Right now he just wanted to get as much as possible before anything happened.

* * *

.

Ericia and Fuuki caught up with Issei and the three of them walked closer to the edification at the center.

It was a pyramid-like building that at the top had a square building that looked empty, maybe it was a religious center?

The whole surface of the building was golden, however, some red and blue gemstones were encased in some of the engravings.

Black tiles similar to obsidian were also scattered all over the place, maybe to change the looks of the building a little.

Issei was silent, he just kept thinking about what exactly this place was.

(Those drawings portrait many stories, different stories. And those symbols... I've seen them before, but where?)

He started to walk up the golden slabs that were just like a staircase.

Fuuki and Ericia were really cautious, both of them were at his sides and just kept looking around prepared for anything.

After some time, they reached the top.

They saw the other square-like edification in front of them.

The sun was shining ahead of them so the whole building seemed to be gleaming and sparkling with an extravagant light.

This structure was just an open space, with many pillars supporting a flat ceiling. No walls could be seen, just a ceiling with engraving all over it.

"Stay near me, and don't drop your guard." - Issei ordered them, he didn't want them to be separated. At least, not until he figures out if this place was actually safe or not.

The women silently nodded and went closer to him.

Fuuki took advantage of the situation and hugged his left arm in between her breasts. Ericia just stood really close to him, touching Issei's arm with her own.

Seeing this, Issei sighed in defeat and walked towards the center of this little building.

After crossing what he thought to be the entrance, he took notice of a small pedestal at the center of the room.

It was small, not more than a meter in height and was golden in color. However, its engravings were by far more skilled and detailed than the ones he saw before. They looked lifelike as if it was a moving picture.

The image at the front was that of a man dressed in expensive, antique robes. He was holding a really odd sword that didn't have an edge, it looked almost like a club.

The image seemed to be constantly moving and soon after, his dominant arm made a swing with the edgeless blade. After that, a huge gale could be seen coming from the sword, erasing everything in its path.

Shocked by this, the three of them kept their eyes on the pedestal, then they walked around it analyzing everything of it.

Issei looked at the backside of the pedestal and once again was amazed.

He saw a woman standing at the top of a mountain. She looked angered and she seemed to have horrendous amounts of power concentrated on her fist.

As the image moved she crushed the mountain with her own fist. The engraving seemed to be moving again and the mountain, when struck, turned into particles dust. Then, the woman was arrogantly on top of the remnants of the same mountain, proudly displaying her deed.

"What is this?" - Ericia mouthed as she looked at the images of the front and back of the pedestal.

"A story." - Issei answered her question, not completely sure.

Both of the women looked at themselves and then at him, their eyes demanded an explanation.

"At least part of one, a fragment you could say." - He explained and looked at the pedestal itself, really intrigued by this thing.

After looking around the pedestal, he saw the top of it, nothing was there. The top was completely smooth and clean, but his instinct as a Dragon that found a treasure screamed at him that there was something there, and really valuable.

Covering his hand in his Darkness he reached on top of the pedestal, as if grabbing something.

Soon after, his suspicions were proven right. He grabbed something and a brilliant golden light filled their vision blinding them momentarily.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Location Unknown—-**

* * *

 **.**

After the light died down the three of them could finally open their eyes. However, the scenery was not what they expected.

They were now inside a huge golden room with many colossal pillars at its sides. There were no windows but rather holes in the sides of the walls, showing an ever-changing colorful sky, one Issei unfortunately recognized.

The same engravings from the buildings could be seen on the surface of the pillars, but no images were seen. Instead, many symbols which they could guess to be some kind of writing covered their whole surface.

"Well seems were are no longer in the same place." - Stating the obvious Ericia said to herself.

"~Indeed~" - Fuuki seemed to be liking this and just agreed with her words. Still not letting Issei's arm go.

"Hmmm..." - Issei looked around the place and only saw a staircase in front of them, clearly going to a much higher level than the one they were at.

(This writing, if I'm not wrong...) - His thoughts were interrupted by Ericia

"Ise, what's that on your hand?" - She asked while seeing a golden piece in his right hand.

Issei looked surprised and turned to look at his right hand.

He was grabbing something, but he wasn't sure what exactly.

It was rather big and golden in color though a hint of black could be seen on its surface, however, it looked really out of place.

"What is this?" - He asked Ddraig, while looking at the golden contraption in his right hand.

[Not even I know what that is Partner.] - Ddraig told Issei while feeling curious about the object.

In his hand was a thick, golden tube that extended a foot into the air. It looked like many puzzle pieces stacked on top of each other, and was moving at random intervals like some kind of mechanism. The object kept shinning in a golden light and just kept moving, never stopping.

Seeing the complex artifact, Issei took a closer look.

"What are you exactly?" - His interest piqued, he looked at the artifact and just started to inspect this thing.

He saw some red light inside of the whole tube, and the complexity of its making could put anything modern to shame.

Issei felt this object was rather important and the energy he felt from it was dense and ancient.

"Issei, we should get going." - Ericia told him while shaking his shoulder, trying to dispel his thoughts.

Issei widened his eyes and nodded, he was too distracted by this little thing.

He decided to keep the object in his hand in case anything inside this place could react to it, after all, they needed to know more about this thing and their only clue was this place.

Walking onwards, they reached the golden staircase.

While looking around they noticed that nothing, aside from precious gemstones and gold, was what conformed this entire Palace.

Looking up, they saw the pillars extend towards the sky for hundreds of meters, soon losing them of their sight. There was no ceiling and only a weird fog was present on top of them, covering the roof of the Palace.

They walked up the stairs for what they felt like hours, but no one ever said anything. Each of them was prepared for a fight and a distraction would prove fatal.

Seeing the end of the stairs, Issei looked at Ericia and just communicated with his eyes.

She immediately understood what he meant. - (Be ready.) - She nodded her head and looked at Fuuki who also understood what was happening.

Reaching the top they saw some kind of throne, it was elevated off the ground and some obsidian slabs could be seen below it.

The throne, as always, was made out of gold, but its surface was completely smooth and shiny.

Stopping just as they reached the end of the stairs, the three of them were actually shocked, not because of the throne, but rather by who was sitting on it.

It was a woman that had her eyes closed while leaning her head against her right hand. Her legs were crossed one on top of the other, and she looked and gave the impression of being extremely bored. But her presence... now that was something else.

They all felt a really thick aura coming off of the woman in question. It was dense and thick and in a sense, dangerous.

Ddraig and Issei knew this aura perfectly well, after all, they have been with this type of existence before and in more than one occasion.

[Partner, she's—] - Ddraig mentally talked to his Partner, but was abruptly stopped by Issei. - (I know...)

He felt his body tense before her and quickly activated his Darkness in case of anything, hiding the artifact in his hand just in case.

Ericia and Fuuki, similarly to Issei, knew what was in front of them, so they both prepared themselves.

Ericia used her ' _Deceased Dragon Portrait_ ' and a huge shadow swallowed the ground below her, painting it in a pitch black.

Fuuki covered herself with a dense and thick white layer of Toūki, and used her Senjutsu to form a series of hexagons that spun on her left wrist.

Then Issei talked while being cautious. - "Goddess."

At those words, the woman opened her eyes and stared directly at him.

"Dragon?~" - Her sweet voice that seemed to be a melody, echoed all over the place. Even Issei felt goosebumps when he heard that voice filled with interest and something else, something bad.

[No simple Goddess Partner. Be careful, she's not someone you can mess with.] - Hearing his Partner's advice Issei agreed.

"Goddess, would you please tell us how to get out of here?" - He cut to the chase and asked while looking into the eyes of the Goddess.

She looked at him and smirked.

Slowly with an almost hypnotic movement, she stood up from her throne. She descended down to the obsidian slabs beneath her with grace and elegance, and once on solid ground she walked closer to him, disregarding the women at his sides.

When she was 3 meters away she stopped and talked to him.

"And why would I do that?~" - She cynically placed a finger against her cheek.

Issei was silent, instead of talking he just looked at the Goddess, analyzing her completely. He had to admit, she was beautiful enough to compete for the title of Goddess of Beauty.

Her black hair reached her waist and seemed to be as dark as the abyss itself. It cascaded down her back and seemed glossy and soft to the touch.

Her skin was as white as alabaster and as smooth as jade, not an imperfection could be seen. Her eyes were a bright dark yellow as if it was molten gold and they glowed with a powerful light that was filled with authority.

She was quite small, almost a head smaller than Issei. But her proportions with that height were just perfect, she wasn't filled to the brim but rather, she was filled with just the perfect amount to make any man that laid eyes on her body be completely infatuated with her for a lifetime.

She wore seven pieces of clothing that were mixed with armor.

Two of them covered her most precious parts but left no room for imagination. Her right leg was covered with a black stocking with golden like armor and royal blue metal pieces that contrasted with her person.

Her left arm had a long, black sleeve that reached her bicep and a just above it, also with the same elegant pattern and armor as her leg.

As her fifth piece, she had a dark golden crown that seemingly tied her hair into a pair of twin tails at both sides of her face, excluding grace and authority.

Her sixth piece was a necklace with a red jewel at the center, landing right on her cleavage, inciting to look closer.

Her seventh piece, if it could be considered that, was a cape that extended from her waist to her ankles, it was black with gold with pieces of gold armor around it, and seemed to be worth an entire country.

Issei kept staring at her analyzing all of her motions and movements, but was soon stopped when he heard her voice again.

"Do you like what you see?~" - She moved her body in a seductive way. That melodic voice was heard yet again, but this time far worse.

"Beautiful indeed, but you haven't answered my question." - He seemed unfazed by her beauty and that cold voice even made her feel a slight chill.

"Hmmm?" - She tilted her head and played dumb making Issei slightly angry.

"Goddess. Answer." - He made his voice colder and walked closer to her.

She turned around and walked at a random direction while hiding the smirk on her face.

(Interesting Young Dragon. Not being affected by my beauty at all, I feel kind of insulted.) - She then stopped walking and answered his question.

"This is my realm." - She waved her hand around. - "Darling, be welcomed!~"

She clearly was teasing him, her movements irradiated a sex appeal that would make everyone her slave. Ericia and Fuuki were kind of worried but seeing the stoic face of Issei managed to calm them down.

"Realm?" - He asked back but her response was a teasing flick of her finger and a smile on her face.

"Of course!~ I made all of this to spend the eternity." - Her smile was astounding and that teasing voice that begged for someone to do more was difficult to ignore.

"From the simple pebble, to the huge throne behind me. Even that city which you came from was made by me." - Her pride in those words was obvious.

(Why you did all of this?) - He asked himself. He was almost sure of the identity of the Goddess but he needed more information.

"I see, then why you did it? Do you really have the free time when your Pantheon might need you?" - He made a dangerous question but he soon got his answer.

The Goddess frowned momentarily but soon changed her expression to a flirty one again. However, that change was caught by Issei, soon he reached a conclusion and if he was right then everything will change.

If her identity was really _her,_ then everyone across the supernatural globe will go mad!

"Darling doesn't need to worry about that~ They have everything under control!" - She smiled at him.

Her answer was perfect, however, Issei was no normal being. Seeing her answer like that made him smile with coldness.

He then decided to make another bold move, it was all or nothing!

"I see, then they wouldn't care if I take this with me." - He showed her the golden artifact he had with him.

When he first reached the throne he decided to hide it by covering it with his aura, so his hand in her eyes, should only look like a huge black claw.

Seeing the artifact the face of the Goddes finally changed for good.

"You're also after the riches and treasures in this land!?" - She gnashed her teeth. Her voice sharp and venomous, the look in her eyes was frightening.

"How about we talk Goddess." - He felt confident. - "You give the information that I want and I'll give you something in exchange." - He smirked wickedly and played with the golden artifact in his hand.

"What do you want Dragon." - Her true persona was shown, a malicious devil like voice and an expression that seemed as if she wanted to gut him. She even lifted her guard and expelled a part of her aura trying to intimidate them, unfortunately, these three were not normal supernatural beings.

"How do we get out of here." - More than a question it was an order.

He knew where they were since they first appeared here, he could recognize that colorful sky at any time thanks to his many experiments when he first tried his ' **Hell Gate'** , he knew the Dimensional Gap quite well since those days. But because of that, he was quite nervous, this was quite a bad situation.

He knew that the Yasakani-No-Magatama wouldn't work here. That thing wouldn't work in the Gap, the reason still unknown, maybe it was related to Great Red, who knows?

His ' **Hell Gate'** didn't work in sealed spaces, and definetly not in a sealed realm created by a Goddess. So reaching a conclusion... they were fucked.

The Goddess kept looking at him, her eyes constantly moving between his person and the golden artifact. Then she answered.

"Unless I want you to, no one leaves this place." - Her smile made them feel a chill down their backs, even her voice sounded unnatural and bloodthirsty.

"Open the gate Goddess." - He frowned and expelled his own aura equaling the one she had. The entire place started to decrease in temperature some places even began to crack.

"Why would I do that?~" - She teased him, no... she provoked him! Even her smile signified that!

On the other hand, Issei was calm and collected.

He then looked into her eyes and calmly said. - "Because I rather not kill the last Goddess of an extinct Pantheon." - His words made everyone widen their eyes.

The three females looked at him in shock, however, this Goddess looked frightened.

Seeing her like that, Issei thought on continuing his proving, maybe he really was right...

"I know your real name, Goddess." - He told her and started to explain.

His voice sounded as sharp as a knife.

" _I am the starry Lady of Heaven; my power enlightens dusk and dawn, mountain and sky, furrow and seed, animal and human, woman and man, love and division, and war, always war." -_ His words confused the women at his sides, but the Goddess looked shocked.

(So I was right?! Fuck this isn't good!) - He thought while the Goddess was in silence.

"Those, are the words of the beginning of a certain story. A story about a Goddess and her journey to the Underworld!"

As if his words had physical strength the Goddess retreated a step.

" _But not to the darkness; not to the clay and dust, not to Death; not to the great land below, where my sister reigns. That land I did not know. So I abandoned the known lands and traveled to the threshold and found that entrance and beat on that cold door, I banged on it until I was let in. Into that Great Place, I descended, down through the gates, one by one"_

He quoted while looking at the Goddess who seemed in shock.

"I never expected to see someone from that Pantheon which was thought to be extinct. And the Goddess that was as famous as she was strong."

Issei wanted to unmask this Goddess who seemed to be fond of hiding her real identity.

Ericia and Fuuki were in complete silence. They were amazed that Issei actually knew who they were facing! So they stood at both of his sides and kept their eyes on the Goddess, not losing her figure for a second.

She, on the other hand, was furious.

She, that was the last of her race, the last of the first Gods.

She, that lost her everything due to her foolishness and dumb pride.

Every word of the man in front of her made a wound on her heart, a wound that she knew she deserved! She always disliked her story because it showed what she once was. A spoiled Goddess that lost the most important to her and didn't realize it until it was too late!

"The greatest Goddess of old, known as a Mother Goddess and the strongest female on her Pantheon."

Unknowingly, the Palace started to creak, not because of his words but rather because of the Goddess in front of him.

Clutching her hand into a fist, blood started to fall from her palm. She even gritted her teeth to stop herself from trembling, she knew she deserved this but it hurt far too much. It hurt being reminded about that tragic past...

"...Stop..." - Her voice a murmur but her words echoed all over the Palace.

 _"Down I went through the seven gates, down to the realm of my sister. At the first gate, my Queenship was stolen. At the second gate, my Knowledge was taken. At the third gate, I lost my voice." -_ His reciting was stopped by the Goddess.

"Stop!" - She demanded and looked at the man in question with a horrifying glare.

*BAAAANNG!*

Her golden aura started to circulate around her body and the floor gave in. The quakes on the realm became even more noticeable than before.

"Let us go, Goddess! I know that if I give you this artifact then you will kill us at the same moment!"

Issei wasn't dumb, thanks to all he lived through he knew when someone wanted to kill him or not. And this Goddess since the beginning was practically oozing killing intent. Even behind that smile, he knew everything was fake.

After actually talking with her, in those few exchanges of words he discovered that if this Goddess got what she wanted then she would have attacked with her all.

She wanted to attack right after his talk about her Pantheon, but he showed her the artifact, actually, that was also a gamble. He didn't know if it would actually work but for now his only way out was to talk about her past, weirdly enough it hurt her, so she either concedes or he will spill the beans!

The Goddess was angered, no... she was furious!

This Dragon came here, just like many did in the past and wished to get her riches, her treasures, her memories of her people and her family! And now was blackmailing her to get out of here because he knew that only she could open the gate back to the Human World!?

(How did he figure all of this out?! My story and my people were lost in the river of time! No one should know that much about us, not even the Faction Chiefs of the modern world would know that much about me!) - She started to think.

(More so for a Dragon, they don't care for anything other than themselves, who exactly is he?!)

The Goddess knew about Dragons quite well, but never has she even heard about someone like him! Taking human form, having other species accompanying him, who was he?!

[Partner be careful, this Goddess wasn't exactly worshipped for her temper. I know that you want to provoke her to let all of you go, but you're treading on thin ice, be careful.] - Ddraig told his Partner.

(I know, but unless I make her angry and force her to actually let us go then she would just kill us!)

(We're trapped in here and she's the only one with the key to the outside world. I count on her temper to actually either let us go or create an opening wide enough for me to mortally wound her. If we actually fight her at her best then we wouldn't last!) - He explained his plan.

[I see! So you want her emotions to take control of her and actually, attack you! And at that moment you will hit her with everything you got, creating an opening for your women to strike her down!] - The Dragon understood and was actually surprised by the plan of his Partner.

(Correct, either she lets us go or she will make a mistake, and I will take that opportunity!) - Issei smirked, making the Goddess even angrier than before.

[Ok Partner, I'll be ready for the moment when it happens. However, be careful, you don't know how strong she is and her Legends explain a lot about her strength. She's not someone even your team can take on at the moment.] - Ddraig told his Partner and started to prepare himself for the opportunity to come.

(I know Ddraig, but we need to risk in order to gain!) - He cut communication with his Partner and decided to continue his plan.

" _At the fourth gate I ceded my Beauty. At the fifth gate I gave my Divinity. At the sixth gate I offered my Self. At the last gate, I left my Life, and it all falls away and death comes."_

He continued provoking the Goddess who seemed extremely angry.

(Just a bit more.) - He thought

"This is your last chance Goddess, or I will say everything!" - He screamed at her.

"NO! I won't let you get away!? I won't let you get away with what I treasure the most! Even if that was once the thing I hated the most! It's what's left of my time as a true Goddess." - She screamed at him.

"Then so be it Goddess, it was your choice!" - He decided to continue his speech.

" _Time passes and does not, and two strangers come to the Queen, bearing water. But they ask of her one thing, and that one thing is granted. So then the loosed spirit is breathed back and bound into that which remains, and I am borne to Life once more. What did they give the Queen, that she turned her ear to them?_ "

His words for her were ruthless, tears formed on her eyes.

"No, please don't! Please stop! Don't make me remember those days!" - She pleaded with tears streaming down her face, but he only answered with the only thing she couldn't accept.

"Let us go Goddess and everything will stop." - He told her, feeling kind of bad to do this.

They needed to escape this place, and the Goddess truly didn't want to let go of them!

"I can't! I won't! Not while you know about this place, not while you know about me, not while you have that artifact with you, not while you have the key to the treasury!" - She screamed and wiped her tears off with her arms.

Issei felt a twinge of remorse but continued his words.

" _This darkness knows the Law, the Law which says, that for one released there is one ransomed."_

Those words made her look at him with horrible eyes, but that glare was never directed at him, it was weird. It was as if she actually wanted him to continue, as if she wished for this to if she wished for him to tell her story to all present, especially to herself. As if she wished to be punished for something she did.

But she never said a word of approval...

She didn't hate the man, he was just doing what was necessary to get out alive, but she couldn't let them go! If he knows about this place and actually lets him go, more will come and will destroy this place for their own greed!

Her treasures collected over the millennia will be stolen again and she will be left without anything to remember them. That key in his hand was the last memory that remind her of the past, the last memory of her time...

She hated herself because of what she did in the past, and even at this moment she hadn't forgiven herself, so in a way, she was grateful that this man was doing this... maybe after this, she would have finally paid for her crimes against her loved one...

Issei breathed and continued his story.

" _There was no question, really, who it should be, and down I send my husband in my stead_."

His words echoed in her head, he actually felt how her heart twisted and cracked at the memory.

She closed her eyes and remebered that scene, that memory that hunts her till this day...

* * *

 ** _—-Start FlashBack—-_**

* * *

 ** _._**

 _In her search of more power, in her search of arrogance blinded by her pride. She went to the down below, to the place filled with death that her sister reigned._

 _Arrogantly she reached the main door, the first door, and threatened to bring it down if she was not let in._

 _After all the threats she could think, she was let in by the gatekeeper, a young woman who wore nothing but drags. Yet the plot of the Queen of Hell, already started._

 _As a trick, she was told that due to customs set by the god of heaven himself every single traveler must let a piece of jewelry or clothing at the gate. This was the plot, not knowing that alongside that piece of clothing or jewelry a part of her own self will also be left behind._

 _So she accepted and her journey began, the first gate was crossed, and alongside her crown, she was stolen her queenship._

 _Letting that behind, her mind was set free, no longer blinded by her arrogance. Yet her pride still remained, and soon she decided to continue her journey._

 _At the second gate her front cover was lost and with that, her knowledge._

 _Not knowing exactly why she came here in the first place she thought the only path was ahead and so she walked. After seeing things no mortals should see, and talking to all death in this realm, her mind started to change, but she didn't notice..._

 _At the third gate she left behind her stocking with many treasures sealed into it, and with that, her voice was lost._

 _Not capable of speech, she continued her journey, now lamenting her choice of continuing, yet she could no longer stop... Seeing the great evils that plagued below the earth all the torture and pain, she was mourning for the ones that were trapped here._

 _She then reached the fourth gate, and she ceded her beauty and with that, her cape was lost._

 _She closed in on the Underworld, to the throne of the mighty Queen, but now being weaker than before she felt different..._

 _While wailing on the long road filled with nothing but darkness, she thought about her life. About her deeds, all good and wrong, about her plays and tricks, about her so-called loves, about the many things she did..._

 _Reaching the fifth gate she was stripped of her necklace and with that, her strength left her._

 _All the power she held and was proud of was now lost! Not capable of fighting against anything nor anyone, not different from the low Gods that governed useless stuff in her eyes._

 _Yes! just like her husband that she left on top of the Earth!_

 _Shocked by this, her thoughts started to get even worse, feeling emotions she never experienced before, feeling guilt and regret to all that she used as toys, to all she scoffed at, and to all she hurt..._

 _Reaching the sixth gate, she gave her sole sleeve, adorned with jewels that shined with the brilliance of a thousand stars, and with that, her Divinity was stolen._

 _Not different from a mortal, she continued her journey. Swearing to everything above the Heavens that if she escapes she would change for the good! But that proved to be an empty promise..._

 _The last steel gate was in front of her, resigning herself to her fate she crossed it... and her sole piece of clothing was also left behind._

 _With the last piece lost, her sense of self was taken. Not being different from a corpse that held life, not different from a body that held no mind._

 _She was taken prisoner by her sister and ridiculed. As punishment, she was cursed to die a slow death! Hit by sixty plagues that would make her suffer before soon taking her life!_

 _The Gods, discovering that the Earth was changing with her loss, sent a young being, not divine in nature, and a young man close to the Goddess to take her back. The being was given the water of life as a gift to the Queen of Hell, but it was meant to be given to the fallen Goddess, the other man acted as his companion and guide in this long and tough journey._

 _Reaching the end of their journey, the being sprinkled the water onto the living corpse of the Goddess._

 _It was a success! The Goddess returned to life! But without anything on her just like before, her sense of self alone was returned and only that, no power, no beauty, no voice..._

 _Furious, the Queen of Hell demanded an explanation! Soon, she was told about the orders of the Heavens above, she understood, but she wanted something. She demanded a life for a life!_

 _The being proposed its own, but she was unsatisfied with it, saying that it was not the same. The life of a God to that of something not divine in any aspect, it wasn't equal at all!_

 _Not having anything left to offer the being wanted to give up but another person appeared, the companion revealed himself!_

 _The Goddess at the moment she saw him, started crying in bliss. Happiness filled her being yet the words that came from his mouth made her sorrowful._

 _The man announced himself as the husband of the Goddess and proposed the life of a god for another. The Queen was satisfied with this deal and accepted his proposal, yet the Goddess was mourning, sadness and despair filled her completely._

 _She repeatedly asked; Why he did it?! Why after all she told him?! After he cheated on him! And after all the horrible things she did to him! Why did he decide to give his own life for her own?!_

 _The man smirked and explained._

 _"Because, I'm not the one that's supposed to be by your side. I as your husband, shall love you, but you do not feel the same way as I. The reason for that is because although being a Goddess of Love you haven't experienced love. The one that will love you shall come, and at that moment don't give up. My time in the world of the living as well as my journey end here, but yours will just start."_

 _The man went towards the Queen of the Underworld, not removing the smile in his face._

 _The Queen touched his forehead and retrieved something from him a little ball of light..._

 _The cold body dropped to the ground and the Goddess that came here was soon free to go._

 _Tears fell from her face, regret and sorrow embedded onto them._

 _The being, after many moons, talked her out of her grief and convinced her to start her journey back up, and so she did._

 _But not for a moment did she forget about the sacrifice and the words of her husband, even after she retrieved all that was rightfully hers!_

 _The experience she gained from this changed her entirely, and she became like another Goddess!_

 _Trying to pay all the wrongs she did on Earth, she did her job as a Goddess and did it splendidly! But time passed, yet not for a day did she forget the words of her husband..._

* * *

 ** _—-End FlashBack—-_**

* * *

 ** _._**

The Goddess was standing still and not moving, only crying at the remembrance of that memory, of that sin she committed.

"That's the story of this Goddess, that due to her greed and pride lost everything in her life. What happens afterwards is not written in any record, that is for the Goddess to know." - Issei told his companions.

He then looked at the Goddess that seemed to be awaked from her thoughts.

(She lasted long enough, but I still have something else.) - He looked at her and without any mercy, he told her.

"I haven't said your name Goddess." - He told her while hoping for the best, but only silence answered him.

Ericia and Fuuki were seeing all of this with some guilt written on their faces, but they also knew why he was doing this. He was doing this to save them! To live and see another day! Although it was bad, it was a needed evil!

"Fine." - The executioner continued his words.

"She's a goddess of beauty, good harvests, and war from Mesopotamian Mythology. Said to be the most pampered, or rather, most beloved goddess by the other deities."

The Goddess looked at him with a face that spelled dismay but also... hope.

"Her Sumerian divine name is Inanna, and this name is actually the older one. A goddess of Venus, a goddess that rules over good harvests which brings prosperity to people, and also a goddess that rules over war and destruction. Having even dispatched a fearsome divine beast called the 'Bull of Heavens' to the city of Uruk!"

He was hoping for her to be angry, but either she hid it really well or wasn't angry at him at all!

"Famous for having numerous loves, it has been said that she would make advances with all her energy on those who she took a liking to, regardless of those being humans or other deities. On the other hand, she also displayed a demon-like cruelty towards those who did not bow to her will." - He thought about his next words but decided to continue.

"Her Akkadian divine name is..." - He breathed in and then said the words that made the Goddess accept her fate with a smile on her face.

"Ishtar, Queen on the Heavens! Goddess of Beauty, Harvests, Sex, Love and War. The strongest Goddess of Sumerian History and called the strongest in all of Heaven!"

The women at his sides widen their eyes, that was a name they recognized!

Ericia heard from her before the Civil War started, but was only the story of how she unleashed the 'Bull of Heaven'. Never would have she thought that she would be here, alive and actually in front of her!

Fuuki was shocked, she did hear of her but never of her story. Never would she have thought that it was actually that bad. No wonder she didn't want to hear it, after all, it was pretty bad, but for a Goddess of her calibre to actually have a past like that, it was rather unsettling.

The Goddess now named Ishtar looked at the man in front of her and actually felt different from before. Even if it hurts like crazy she felt that now she could actually forgive herself for what she did in the past. She felt free!

"How did you know?" - That was her question, the only thing she wished to know.

"I had my suspicions since before entering the city. But I would have never thought that you were here, after all, on the outside world everyone thinks everything related to you and your Pantheon ceased to exist. So I ask you this, How are you here? Alive and actually, quite strong?" - He asked his own question, his curiosity got the best of him again.

"I'll tell you if you answer my question." - She needed to know, How? Many have come through many eras but no one knew about her, not at the level this man knew.

"It was written in an ancient text I read some time ago, your story Ishtar, everything was written on it."

He didn't want to say he actually read it in his house.

After reading about Tiamat and the Sumerians he started to investigate more about this culture in particular and found some Legends that didn't appear on his personal Library. His interest piqued he kept reading and searching until he was satisfied.

(Google is really a blessing in disguise, but they don't need to know about that.) - He mentally thanked his savior and hoped this would be a really well-kept secret between him and Ddraig.

"When I first entered the Jungle, I thought about the location in general. After some thinking, and the clues in the map that lead us here, I found out that the city was related to the Mesopotamian Period." - He started to further explain.

"The eight-pointed star was a symbol related to you but just that wasn't enough. The vegetation that seemed far too dense for even a Jungle kept my head spinning for some time. But then we saw the Bull, a Symbol that was used to represent you." - He pointed his finger at her.

Ishtar was quite amazed by this man's intellect and deductive reasoning, so she kept listening to him.

"Then I thought the city was built as a sanctuary, as well as an offering to you, so I let it rest. Then I saw more about the city, the cuneiform writing on the surface of all the buildings only supported my theory even more. But then we went to the pyramid and found that pedestal." - He stared at her and kept walking around trying to find the best spot in case she attacks.

"Seeing the moving pictures made me think; 'The first was probably related to the city itself rather than to who was created.' However, the other picture didn't make sense..." - He stopped moving and looked at the women.

"A woman destroying a mountain with her fist? It just didn't make sense." - He shook his head and smiled.

"Then I remembered a Legend about a Goddess that destroyed a mountain just because it was on her way. The Legend of you destroying the Sacred Mountain Ebih!" - He looked at Ishtar.

"And after accidentally grabbing this artifact, we ended inside here. After walking up the staircase I saw you and joined the pieces together but I still felt doubt, so I asked you about the Pantheon. Your answer gave me the information I needed, then the rest was a simple deduction." - He dismissed the rest of the explanation but was actually quite proud of it.

"That's how I figured out who you were. Now answer my question, How are you alive?" - He asked her.

Ishtar was amazed once again by this man, truly a unique being in the whole world!

Fuuki and Ericia were the same as Ishtar, but Fuuki was actually looking at him as if she wanted to eat him. Her heart-shaped eyes didn't help her image at all.

Ericia looked even more shocked, her heart was beating wildly inside her chest and her face was blushing furiously.

(Maybe Fuuki was right... maybe... I... actually fell for him...) - Thinking that, she felt a sense of relief and satisfaction fill her body as if she was actually better than ever before in her life!

But her thoughts were stopped by the voice of the Goddess.

"I'll be direct." - She told Issei while mentally preparing herself.

"Belief is where Gods come from, Gods are born due to human nature. Humans wish to explain everything in the world and when something doesn't make sense they attribute it to the power of Gods." - She started to explain.

"That belief is what gives the Gods their power. The stronger the belief, the stronger the power they will possess. However, there exists a... repercussion." - She said with a sad voice.

"If humans stop believing in the God that they thought made that natural phenomenon or that unexplainable event occur, then the God will stop gaining power, and if something isn't done then they will start to decline in strength and slowly dissipate." - Her words made Issei widen his eyes in surprise, he never heard about this!

"Humanity started to evolve, and with that, their thinking changed. My Pantheon started to decline in power and when we figured out what was the reason why, when we tried to make the humans believe in us again, it proved to be a worthless effort." - She was quite sad at the remembrance of that scene.

"At that time I already came back from the Underworld and I became a hermit since I no longer saw anyone. I was the first to figure this out and after some years, I cut off my existence from the power of belief that humans gave me. But due to that, my strength stopped growing and because I wasted far too much time, my power diminished."

Her words made Issei think about the current Pantheons.

"I tried to warn them but it didn't work, it was too late and there was nothing left for me to do. Slowly I was the only one of my Pantheon left alive and was left alone in the world. So I made this place and hid, waiting for my end to come." - Her words seemed to be the truth but Issei still had a question to ask.

"Then the current Pantheons—" - He was interrupted by Ishtar.

"They learned from our mistakes and actually survived with almost all of their strength. Once the time that Humanity evolved came, few Pantheons experienced the same destiny as mine." - She finished her explanation and looked a the Dragon who seemed to be thinking.

"...…" - Issei was just silent, processing her words. Now that did explain some things.

(So that's why the Three-Biblical-Factions are feared and why the Hindu Gods have that much power! People nowadays still believe in them!)

He then saw the woman stop her walk and started expelling her aura.

He then remembered the main problem of this situation, they were still stuck in this place with her!

"Now Dragon, sorry to tell you this but, I will kill you~" - Her voice changed to flirty one and she soon vanished from her spot.

Using all of his senses to the maximum Issei used his Darkness and covered his body like usual.

*BOOOOMMMMM!*

A blow hit him from the side but he managed to guard against it. However, it didn't stop him from flying away and crash against the wall.

*CRRAAASSSSHHH!*

The wall cracked in some spots but Ise was still guarding against the hit from the Goddess.

(Damn! She packs a punch!) - His thoughts started to spin as he decided to remove himself from the wall.

Falling down to the ground, Issei noticed how the Goddess seemed different from before. She looked more calm and... peaceful.

(Damn! My plan backfired!) - He never thought something like this could happen!

"Dragon I deeply thank you for what you did. I have never felt better, and to prove my thanks I'll kill you as quickly and painlessly as I can, to that I swear!"

The Goddess genuinely smiled at him, but only made him mentally scream. - (That's not what I wanted!)

[Ha!] - Ddraig found the situation quite funny but didn't dare laugh out loud.

Then, in a burst of speed, she disappeared from his eyes and appeared next to him.

His instincts kicked in, and soon he covered his arms in his Darkness and started to trade blows with her.

*BAAAM! BAAAAM! BAAAAAAM!*

Everytime they clashed fists, the aftershocks literally shook the entire realm.

After minutes passed both of them were still trading blows never stopping, fatigue was visible on Issei but he knew that if he stopped even for a second it would spell his death.

His team was watching him, hoping that he would create an oportunity for them to attack.

The reason they didn't do anything until now was that the Goddess was very wary of them, she never left her guard down for them to take advantage of, even when Issei landed a couple of blows, she never stopped keeping an eye on them.

Sweat formed on Issei's brow, his body was burning. Never ending combat with a Goddess of War exhausts ones body very fast.

Every time he tried something, she canceled it by increasing her speed and landing a heavy hit on him, making him cough blood. Or she just made him lose his concentration by using faints, he was starting to get anxious.

Desperate, and seeing that he was at a disadvantage, he activated his ' **Combo Star'** and Issei started to increase his offensive speed using all of his remaining energy.

*BAAANGG! BAAAANGG! BAAANG!*

He wanted to reach a high-hit combo as fast as possible!

Then to increase his odds a bit more, with a quick glance he looked at Ericia in the eyes and discreetly asked for her help.

(Understood.) - She stopped searching for an opening and sped towards the Goddess.

In conjunction with Issei they both fought against her in Close Quarters.

* * *

.

Issei directed a punch right at her chest, but she just pushed his arm with hers and made him miss his target breaking his former Combo.

Ericia, who was behind her, watched this and as fast as she could she twisted her body and went for a high kick aimed at the back of Ishtar's neck.

The momentum and force she generated managed to create a strong air-current that was sensed by the Goddess

Ishtar felt her and managed to dodge the kick with minimal effort and just sidestepped to the left.

Seeing the kick fly past her head she went for a counter-attack, however, Issei stepped in before she could punch Ericia and went for an elbow blow aimed at her chest.

She widened her eyes and dodged the blow that managed to create an aftershock when it passed her, she then created some distance in between them.

*CRAAAACKKK!*

Ericia's kick made contact with the ground and dented it inwards, creating a big crater.

The crater that was just formed made the Goddess lose her balance momentarily, and taking the opportunity Issei closed his distance with her.

Issei punched her and she only managed to block with her forearms forming an 'X' shape.

Increasing his speed he used his whole upper body to strike at her, punches and some elbow blows directly connected with her ribs and chest but nothing was broken, not even a bruise was seen.

*Foosh!* - Ericia jumped from the crater and joined Issei with his attacks.

Fighting side by side both had a perfect teamwork. Issei would create openings by using faints or just receiving the blows of Ishtar and then Ericia will use her own martial arts and land powerful hits that destroyed the land beneath them, hoping it would damage the Goddess.

Ishtar, frustrated, grabbed Issei's wrist when he threw a punch right at him.

(You're mine!) - She pulled Issei towards her and released his wrist, but the momentum made him fly at her.

Ishtar collected a lot of golden aura on the same hand she used to pull him and threw a fierce punch at his face, Ericia prepared to do something but was to late, the blow landed on him.

*BAAAANNNGGGG!*

It echoed all over the place making the land quake at the force

[Partner!] - Ddraig knew, that blow did serious damage.

Issei was sent flying against a pillar - *CRUUSH!* - and managed to destroy it.

His speed barely decreasing, he was sent right towards the wall behind him.

*BBAAAAAAANNNNNGGGG!*

Issei was embedded against the wall and Fuuki, that was thinking about a plan to hurt the Goddess, was shocked by seeing this.

"Ise!" - The scream and worry of Fuuki managed to make Ericia lose concentration for a second.

(Chance!) - Ishtar took the opportunity and closed the distance between Ericia and herself.

Ericia on the other hand was startled and as reflex threw a kick aimed at her face. Ishtar smiled and caught the kick with both arms not planning to let her go.

"I won't release you!" - She told her with a emotionless and cold voice. She was planning on doing the same as she did to the Dragon!

Ericia was shocked by this but soon thought of something.

"Please don't." - She gave her a disturbing smile managing to astound Ishtar for a brief moment.

(This blow is for you, Issei) - What happened next was... numbing.

Using the leg that was caught by the Goddess, Ericia twisted her body with all of her strength and purposely twisted her leg making it break into pieces. That movement made her positioning less awkward and corrected her 'stance' for her to land a blow.

With the momentum she generated she passed Ishtar's guard and with her right knee she aim and landed a serious blow on the Goddess right temple.

*BAAAAAANNNNNNGGGG!*

Ishtar was sent flying at the side, crashing against a pillar and possibly with a broken skull.

Landing on the ground, Ericia gruesomely twisted her leg to stand properly. Then with worry on her eyes she took a peak where Issei was currently at.

Seeing that he was standing up and his Darkness was healing him, she released a breath of air filled with worry.

* * *

 **—-A Minute Earlier—-**

* * *

 **.**

Issei the moment that blow hit him lost consciousness, but as soon as he struck the wall he gained it back due to the shock.

(Damn my head!) - He thought as he let his Darkness heal him, that blow clearly broke his skull and almost caved his face inwards.

(If I didn't have my Darkness then I would have died!)

That blow was aimed for a swift kill, nothing more, nothing less. That thought send a chill down his spine.

(I haven't been so close to death in some time, maybe less than a month?) - He mentally told a joke to try and calm himself down.

[Partner, I think you should use your other abilities. She's far too strong to fight her in close quarters, both you and the Vampire are barely keeping up and that's because you don't let her take the offensive.] - Ddraig recommended.

(You're right, lets change strategies.) - He gave a confirmation and waited for the healing to be done.

After some seconds, he healed and stood up from his place. Seeing Fuuki at the far left he thought of something.

"Fuuki! Prepare something that does a lot of damage! Ericia and I will buy you time, after we create a big enough opening aim for it even if we are in the middle!" - The face of Fuuki changed but with difficulty she nodded her head.

"Don't worry you know how special both of us are, so we have a way to survive, don't forget who we are."

He told her and tried to calm her down, then he just winked at her making her blush.

Seeing him like that Fuuki nodded her head and with determination in her eyes she replied.

"It'll take some time but I have something that will destroy the entire palace if needed." - Issei smirked at her and nodded his head.

(Well let's buy some time.) - Then he used his Darkness and summoned his blades, ' **Rebellion'**.

The seven blades appeared around him as if they were guarding him, then he grabbed his favorite curved blade.

Speeding up he arrived next to Ericia who just landed a serious blow on Ishtar.

"Ericia we need to buy Fuuki some time, she has something that can probably damage her badly." - He told her in a low voice only the two could hear.

Ericia curved the edge of her mouth and - "Hm." - In acceptance.

*BOOOOMMMMM!*

The pillar at the distance was broken into pieces and from it, the Goddess emerged, blood falling from the side of her head.

(That girl actually hurt me...) - With a cool head, she looked at the white-haired beauty and smirked.

(Seems this will be better than I thought. Time to up a gear or two.) - The Goddess made a stance and prepared herself.

Issei went first. He covered his blades with his ' **Hell Blaze'** and he sent six of his blades to hopefully create an opening, however, something happened.

Ishtar moved arms in front of her and gathered her aura, it circulated around her arms and then, like his own ' **Hell Gate',** a golden portal was opened. Said portal swallowed the flying blades and closed soon after.

(So I can use it like that...) - Seeing his distraction literally fly out the window, he covered his body in his maximum amount of Darkness and increased his speed to the top. Then with his sole remaining blade still covered by his flames, he slashed at her.

*Swish!* - The sound of wind being cut was heard.

Ishtar, seeing that he didn't stop his assault, decided to dodge the blow by moving backwards.

The blade passed her by a few centimeters and only cut some strands of her hair. It went right by her eyes and down to the floor. However, Issei knew that she would dodge so the swing of his blade was a faint.

He smirked coldly and muttered. - **"** **Kami Chigiri!"**

Then the flames from his blade erupted and were launched from the sword with a curved shape. The flames were fired at such a close distance that she couldn't escape the impact!

*BOOOOOMMMM!*

The Goddess was sent flying once again, right towards the wall behind her.

Issei, seeing that his blow landed, felt the fatigue of his former combat against her and the heavy wound she gifted him.

He started to breathe heavily and kneeled on the ground. - *Pant! Pant! Pant!*

That attack took a toll on his reserves and stamina.

[Good thinking Partner. Using your swing as a faint just to hit her with a strong attack. But I doubt that would be enough.] - Ddraig congratulated his Partner and also warned, he knew that attack was far from enough.

(I think I will need to use the Boosted Gear.) - Issei was getting desperate and will soon need something else.

(Damnit! If only I had more things in my repertoire I wouldn't be like this!) - His thinking made the Dragon ask.

[Indeed Partner, but what can you think of? According to you, almost every move you have, came from a fight. So why not try it now? It might be useful even if it's dangerous.]

His idea was crazy. Experimenting while fighting a Goddess, only a Dragon had the gall to think that and not believe it was insane!

(...…) - Issei was meditating his Partner's words.

(Maybe you're right. It's crazy but it could work and it will help me grow further.) - He wanted to try it.

[HaHaHaHaHa, now that's my Partner! I'll help you out, two heads are better than one.] - Without wasting time the Dragon asked his Partner. - [So any ideas?]

(I need long range, until now I have only my spheres of 'Darkness' my ' **Drill', 'Hell Blaze', 'Purgatory Flame Bird',** and that's pretty much it, ' **Flare up'** is used in medium and close range and the rest is close range...) - He numbered his attacks and told Ddraig.

[Hmmm... Have you thought of an attack coming out of your ' **Hell Gate'**?] - Ddraig asked.

That made Issei freeze, he hadn't thought about it!

While looking at the flames that were burning fiercely he started to think even faster than before, barely seconds have passed since he launched his attack, so his thinking speed was put into use until now.

(Maybe...) - He thought of something that was rather cool, but before anything else, the Goddess acted.

*Swoosh!*

A pillar of golden light came from the flames making them retreat. The Goddess was at the center, light burns that were not even sunburns on her skin.

"Incredible, Dragon. Certainly, you are something. No one in a couple of millennia has managed this. You remind me about a certain King I fought long ago, your schemes and power alongside your wisdom and pride are certainly like his."

The Goddess started to walk in his direction, golden light covering her from the flames in her surroundings.

"A pity we met like this, if it was in any other situation then we could have been quite close, truly a pity." - Then the Goddess stopped walking and looked into his eyes.

Her eyes briefly lit up with a pink light, making Issei feel lightheaded and tired. His body became numb and he slowly fell to the ground.

(What did she!?) - He placed a hand on the floor to stop his body from falling.

Ishtar was thinking. - (Wow! It only paralized your whole body? My eyes hold the Authority to Charm any living being I can make them mine! Dragons are no exception, but you resisted! You are making me feel excited Dragon. I like when my eyes don't work, it's proof that the other being is worthy of everything I have!)

(Fuck! She got me!) - Issei thought as he saw the almost sexual smirk of the Goddess, it seems he made her very interested in him.

[Partner! She tried to charm you but proved to be useless! Be grateful that you resisted, otherwise, you would have been her slave for all eternity!] - Those words made Issei sweat bullets.

(The Goddess had something like that?!) - He was slightly frightened.

[You, yourself said it, she's a Goddess of Beauty, Love and Sex. So her eyes and charm are quite strong even among Gods. But now that her strength diminished and she's not fighting seriously, you managed to resist. You're lucky.] - The Dragon then saw how the Goddess disappeared from his sight in a golden light.

Light appeared in front of him and the Goddess held a golden sword on her hand. It was short, maybe two feet in length but the power it had was no less than some famous swords he has seen across his life.

[Move Partner! As long as it doesn't hit anything vital you can live!] - Ddraig told his Partner.

Ericia, that was behind him, decided to act.

His fight with the Goddess was seen by her and she decided to not intervene, that and the fact that she was exhausted of fighting her.

Her body couldn't take the punches of the Goddess without breaking, so she's been using her shadows as means to reinforce the interior of her body, that way she could fight and not suffer that much.

But that costs a lot of energy, and the fatigue the moment she relaxed hit her rather badly, so seeing that Issei was buying time for both; Fuuki and her, made her take a breather.

But the moment she saw those eyes shinning she went on maximum alert. For some seconds her consciousness was robbed from her and when she gained it back the Goddess was already in front of Issei.

(Shit! Issei resist for just a minute!) - She mentally screamed.

(I need to use ' _Lord of Vampire'_!) - She decided.

She breathed in and a pillar of red light surrounded her, then her skin slowly started to changed into the color of ash and her shadows merged with her. She just needed more time and she would be there to help him!

Fuuki was surrounded by tons of Senjutsu hexagons, many in different colors but all mainly dark in tone.

Six red and black Talismans were floating in front of her, they had an eerie purple miasma coming off them.

This attack she was preparing was her best. But she needed a lot of energy, almost all she had to successfully activate it.

Her concentration also needed to be pin-point perfect and even with all of that after this attack, she would be out!

"Please handle her for a bit more! I still haven't finished, I still need some time!" - She screamed for him to know.

She knew things were going rather poorly, and both Issei and Erica were exhausted, but she needed them to be strong, just a minute or two more!

Back with Issei he saw the Goddess appear in front of him, smiling and with a respectful light in her eyes.

"...A pity..." - She mouthed but it was heard by Issei. Then the short-sword on her hand moved.

*Stab!* - The sound of flesh being pierced was heard.

The short-sword went through Issei, but thankfully she missed his heart by centimetres.

*Cough!* - He violently coughed blood. That blood spread over the face and arm of the Goddess.

"I regret how things ended up this way Dragon. Maybe we could have been quite close but that will not be known." - She told him while looking into his eyes. Regret visible inside of them.

"You're right Ishtar maybe we could have been great companions and friends, but we won't know that." - He then extended his left arm and grabbed hers, stopping her movements.

"We certainly won't know." - He smiled at her, the light in his eyes still there.

Seeing him grab her arm she increased her aura and started to pull it back, slowly she was succeding. Seeing that, she smiled.

"Dragon you're noble, trying to tie me in place so that your companions attack me. But you're too weak, your body has barely any strength left, you won't be capable of making me stay in place!"

Her eyes lit up in with a pink light and she tried pulling her right arm from his grasp. She was freeing herself from his binding!

Half of the blade was already out of his body and as seconds passed it was pulled further and further back.

(Damn!) - He screamed inside his head.

He used whatever Aura he had left and covered his left arm, increasing his physical strength. This bought him some time but it was just useless.

Ishtar increased her aura and the blade started to glow in a golden light, burning his insides with the heat it generated.

"If you won't let go, then you will suffer Dragon! I don't want your end to be like this, so give up!" - She taunted him.

"Never, I refuse to give up! I have given up enough in this life! I will no longer run away, I will no longer suffer like I once did! I will no longer be used, those memories I have will no longer hold me down! I will prove to everyone how different I am, and if I need to die to show the world who I truly am, then so be it!" - His eyes held a different light than before.

Seeing him like this the Goddess was remided of her past, when she was strong and still had her loved one by her side. She remembered all those good things and seeing this Dragon's will she was awestruck.

(You... I really think that maybe, just maybe, you could be...) - Her thoughts stopped as she watched something amazing.

The Darkness surrounding Issei pulsed and started to glow in a purple light. Then she felt how the magic reserves he was so proud of were slowly drained dry. However, his strength increased by ridiculous margin, and with that new-found strength he managed to stop Ishtar from taking her blade out.

(This is...) - He then heard his Partner's voice.

[Partner! You magic reserves are depleted, falling to rock bottom. But instead your physical strength shot through the roof! Quite the amazing Aura you have, capable of changing to suit your needs.]

Issei understood this and asked.

(A new ability?) - [Indeed.] - He got his answer.

[By sacrificing your magic you improved your physical power. A double-edged sword but really powerful nonetheless. But now we need to focus, we can talk about that later! Your reserves are really low so this won't last long, make full use of it!] - Ddraig told his Partner.

(Then I'll use my everything to keep her in place! Ddraig be prepared, I'm using the 'Gear'!) - Ddraig was happy at his words, it was all or nothing!

Then from his left arm a red glow appeared, that light momentarily dazed the Goddess but after it died down she was stunned.

"The Boosted Gear?!"

She screamed, momentarily she stopped putting strength into her arm making Issei gain more valuable seconds. He knew that Ericia will soon come to help him. It seems that due to her fatigue she took longer than he thought to use her Trump Card.

"Indeed Goddess. Not only am I a Dragon, I also have one of the 13 Longinus; The Boosted Gear!" - He was proud of that, then he heard a familiar voice.

 ***Boost!* -** He felt his strength increase and that caused a smirk.

"How?! Only humans could have a Sacred Gear?! How can you have it?! What kind of ridiculous existence are you!?" - She yelled her question, but before he could answer another voice was heard.

"That's not for you to know!" - Ericia appeared in a flash of red light and stood in front of him.

Her skin was the color of ash and her eyes were shining with a red light. Then, with all of her power, she clenched her fist.

Seeing this, Issei grabbed the Goddess with his other arm and prepared for the incoming impact.

 ***Boost!*** \- Thanking the increase in power Ericia released her blow. It struck the Goddess.

*BOOOOOOOMMMMM!*

Ericia's punch landed right on her cheek, making her turn her head away. Blood was dropping from the edge of her mouth.

Issei managed to resist the force of the blow and didn't let go of the Goddess.

"Ha! You think something like that can seriously wound me?! Keep on dreaming!" - Ishtar taunted, but Issei only smirked and said.

"Do you think she's alone?" - That made the Goddess look at him in shock, she remembered the other ability of the 'Welsh Dragon'!

 ***Boost!***

The third Boost was heard and soon Issei grabbed the side of Ericia, right at her abdomen. That made her blush but since he was on his knees, there was not much that could be done.

 ***Transfer!*** \- The Boosted Gear announced.

The red light on Ericia's body increased in density and managed to crack the ground beneath her.

She viciously smiled and said. - "You're Fucked!"

She clenched her fist and focused her power on her knuckles. Her entire fist turned bright red due the power that it contained.

Then she released the punch and twisted her fist at the last second, making use of the entire physical strength in her body.

*BBAAAAAAANNNGGGGG!*

The sound echoed all over the place and the ground behind the Goddess was decimated!

Ishtar, feeling her other cheek being hit, momentarily lost her senses. That blow managed to twist her head in the other direction.

*SPAAT!* - As a bonus, she spat a mouthful of blood that painted the ground at her side red.

Issei felt the repeling force of the blow land on him, but he refused to let go.

[Partner! You have a few seconds left! Use them!] - Ddraig told his Partner as he felt his strength diminish.

 ***Boost!***

"Whatever you're doing, finish it now! I won't last for long!" - He screamed at both of his companions.

Ericia nodded her head and prepared herself to start a barrage of punches. She healed her cracked knuckles and prepared another punch.

Fuuki hurried her preparations, she was just about to finish.

Cocking her fist, Ericia went for another blow.

*BBAAAAANNNNGGGG!*

Like the last one it made the Goddess turn her head to the side and spat another mouthful of blood.

Seeing her disoriented she mercilessly continued her attacks.

*BAAAANGG! BAAANNNGG! BAAAAANNNGG!*

She just kept throwing punches. Issei was still keeping the Goddess in place, refusing to let her go flying due to the force of each blow.

Ishtar felt her head go numb due to the pain of each hit.

(Need.. to... get out...) - Those were her thoughts.

She used whatever will she had left and created another short-sword on her other hand. Then she made use of her strength and swung it towards Ericia that was just delivering another punch.

*Swish!* - The air was cut apart.

*Drip... Drip... Drip...* - Blood hit the ground. The blade cleanly cut her arm-off, sending it flying.

The Goddess smirked when she saw the arm fall to the ground. Then she looked at the Dragon and prepared her move.

Turning her blade, she did a backwards grip and swung it, aiming to stab his skull!

Issei saw her sword aimed at his head and released his grip.

The Goddess lost her balance due to the momentum of her swing and tripped.

Falling to the ground due to that unexpected move, she felt the blows of the Vampire finally take a toll on her body.

Her head ached and she felt lightheaded. Those precious seconds in which she was down were properly used.

Fuuki finished her preparations and started to chant.

" _The thought that burns my chest postray this world as a living hell..."_ \- She then concentrated her entire reserves on the six talismans in front of her, making them glow.

The Senjutsu hexagons started to fuse into a single big, black, concentric circle right behind her.

" _The incarnation with an obsession that brings forth tragedy..."_

Sensing the energy from this, both Ericia and Issei retreated at full speed.

(That amount of energy, that's ridiculous!) - The energy being emanated from that spell made his body shiver.

[Incredible... For her to control such amount of power and so perfectly, she's a true genius in the field of Japanese Arts! Maybe not even in another a thousand years will someone like her appear again!] - Ddraig rarely praised someone and Issei knew it.

Hearing his Partner, The Heavenly Dragon 'Y Ddraig Goch' praise someone aside from his host, and even complimented her like that was extremely rare. Maybe in the entire Dragon's existence he has only done so no more than five times, so hearing the praise made Issei—for the first time in a long time, feel genuine shock!

Fuuki surrounded herself in Tōuki and sprinted towards the Goddess while chanting. But Ishtar soon felt the huge amount of energy charging at her and went slightly pale.

(I can't let that hit me! Not even touch me!) - The Goddess tried to escape by increasing her speed but was soon stopped by Issei.

"As if!" - He concentrated and remembered his past idea.

[Partner! You don't have any Aura left!] - Ddraig said.

(Oh, but I'm not fueling this with Aura.) - He smirked at that.

Ddraig soon understood those words.

[You're trying to use your Life Force?! Partner don't do it, who knows how many years of your lifespan you will lose!] - He screamed at him.

(We'll find out later!) - He smirked and focused even more.

A black portal appeared on top of Ishtar, it was pitch black with a purple light inside of it. Static was heard from the portal and it echoed across the destroyed Palace.

From the Portal, small black lightning bolts started to surround it, they were sizzling continuously due to their huge energy and seemed to threaten the Goddess.

Issei extended his right hand, black lightning on it. Then he mouthed.

" _Begone with the Thunderclap._ " - At those words, the Portal started to increase in size, soon reaching 10 meters in diameter.

*RROOOOOAAAAARRR!*

A roar came from within the Portal, petrifying all of the present. Then Issei dropped his right hand towards the ground.

 **"** **Day of Wrath!"**

A huge lighting bolt as thick as the pillars that supported the Palace came crashing towards the Goddess.

It had the shape of a Black Dragon that jumped towards the neck of its prey! It seemed to want to swallow the Goddess whole, not leaving a piece of her behind!

Ishtar was astounded! Never wound have she thought that the Dragon used his lifespan for an attack!

Her vision was covered by the attack and soon, - *CRACKLE! CRACKLE!* - it struck her with ease.

*BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!*

The power it held was tremendous, completely vaporizing the gold and the pillars in her surroundings.

Various, terrible 1st-degree burns soon covered her skin, blood flowing from them. But she knew that this attack was to stop her movements.

(Another distraction!)

She then forcefully turned her head and looked at the Dragon, who was smiling while panting heavily. A silhouette, for her, formed behind him and took a humanoid shape.

That person was someone Ishtar knew very well, after all, it was the man she loved the most... her husband.

"How are you—" - The silhouette seemed to smirk and then vanish into thin air.

Her thoughts stopped as she heard another voice and a huge amount of energy being aimed at her.

" _Let thy, long-cherished, wish, pain this entire world!" -_ Fuuki finally completed her spell.

" _Hell Thought Flame!" -_ The words rang across the desolate land.

* * *

.

Purple... That's the only thing that they could see.

A brilliant, noble, purple light, that covered the entire palace.

No sound could be heard, nothing could be seen. Just bright purple light and intense heat.

The heat was ridiculous and even made Issei sweat rivers. He never felt this degree of heat, not even his prided ' **Hell Blaze'** was capable of this!

After what it felt like hours, the light diminished in brightness and they all could see again. What they saw made their faces turn pale.

The palace was in ruins. The location where the spell landed was... gone, nothing remained.

Only the bright colorful sky of the Dimensional Gap could be seen.

With that attack more than half of the palace was gone. With a snap of the fingers, just like that!

The throne and whatever was behind it turned into dust, even the stairs that were somewhere around that place vanished as well.

What was now left was the other half of the palace that was demolished. More than half of the pillars were turned into rubble and craters filled the ground.

(This is the result of a battle against a God...) - Issei couldn't believe what just happened, the entire realm created by a God was destroyed!

(If this happened on the Human World, even worse, in a populated Area, then...) - He stopped his thoughts as he remembered something.

"The Goddess!" - He turned around and searched for her... but found nothing.

"Does this mean, that we—" - He then heard Fuuki's exhausted voice. She was panting heavily, sweating all over and he felt her reserves were lower than a Low-Class Devil.

"No." - Those words were like a bucket of cold water for both, Ericia and him.

"The spell didn't touched her, I felt how it hit nothing. She just vanished." - She told the rest of the team.

Their complexions worsen, now they were truly scared.

"Indeed!" - A voice echoed all over the ruins.

"You're right Fox, it didn't touch me. But for you to know, and use a spell of that magnitude, that's certainly scary. If it landed, then I would have certainly been mortally wounded and I would probably die!" - They looked around the Palace, but nothing was seen.

"Oh! Forgot about that." - She seemed to be able to see their confusion.

" _Break the Void, Maanna."_ \- A crack appeared from the void itself and Ishtar appeared from it.

She was still wounded, blood fell from both sides of her mouth. The burns and bruises on her body were still there, and even the damage from Issei's ' **Day of Wrath'** could be seen.

However, there was something different from her.

An object was at her side, floating as if ignoring gravity.

It was a huge... bow?

It's height surpassed her own by at least a head and the bow itself looked really weird. It looked like two royal blue pieces of metal with golden engravings that seemed to pop out of the main parts of the bow.

It was separated into two main pieces, two curved metal poles, one in front of the other. A huge hole was seen in the middle of both pieces seemingly for the arrows. A chain tied both pieces of metal by the ends and it looked like it was made to resist anything.

The bow was floating right at the side of Ishtar and was glowing in a royal blue light.

"What's that?" - Ericia asked the Goddess, but her only response was. - "He should know, after all, he knows everything about me~' - Her voice sounded sweet but it seemed different from the past, maybe she sounded expectant?

Issei squinted his eyes and stood up.

"That's Maanna, 'The Boat of Heaven' I never thought it was a bow as well." - He sighed.

"Maanna is the boat of the gods that soars across the Mesopotamian World, it was gifted to her by the highest God and it seems it's her weapon. This certainly isn't good..." - He told them.

That made Ericia and Fuuki nod their heads not really understanding. Ishtar on the other hand was overjoyed.

"Correct again! Darling!~" - She tried teasing him, it seemed she was happy.

"You really know me well, to be expected about you!~ Now that I think about it, I have never heard your name?" - She asked him while tilting her head.

Issei seemed to be taken by surprise by the lack of killing intent on her part, so he mindlessly answered.

"Hyoudou Issei." - Her eyes gleamed with... pleasure?

(A weird Goddess...) - He thought. - [Mn-Hn] - Ddraig agreed with him. One moment she was fighting and aiming to kill him, next she seemed all smiles and happiness, it was weird.

"I see!~ You're the first that managed to make me take Maanna out, amazing! But now that it's out, I won't hold back. This time I won't let my guard down, I'll fight with everything I have!" - Her words were serious but they lacked the killing intent from before.

"So do your best to survive!~" - She told him and waived her hand towards Maanna.

*VOOMP!* - The bow at her side seemed to extend as if ready to shoot something. Then a pure white and blue energy arrow as thick as a tree trunk appeared at the middle of it, right inside the hole it had.

The energy that arrow had managed to make them widen their eyes.

(That's?!) - Issei screamed but Ddraig finished his thoughts.

[No wonder she was called the strongest goddess. Just a casual arrow from her weapon has enough power to level a Town. That should have at least, a fourth of the power of the attack from the Fox, maybe more.] - His words chilled him to the bone.

(She was holding back this much?!) - He thought as he grouped together with his team.

"I can't take that arrow." - Ericia told him.

"That makes us two." - Fuuki agreed.

(Three. My reserves are low and I can't regenerate anymore. Ericia should be the same and Fuuki is running on fumes...) - He thought.

"Seems this is the end~" - She seemed to notice that they were exhausted.

"Ishtar, I'll never give up. And if I die, I'll die fighting trying to defeat you!" - Issei's words and confidence made the Goddess widen her eyes.

(You're so similar to him. Never giving up and always protecting those you care about...) - Her eyes seemed to turn misty.

*CRACK-CRACK!*

The barrier around the palace seemed to crack and the entire realm started to quake.

(Damn! The attacks we did made the barrier crack! Soon it will dissipate and we will all fall into the Dimensional Gap!) - Ishtar thought as she saw the place crack like a mirror.

"Seems this place is breaking apart and it will soon vanish from existence." - She told them making the arrow from Maanna disappear.

"Even I can't survive inside the Dimensional Gap for long. So I need to leave~" - The Goddess activated her bow and soon a crack appeared behind her.

"Take the treasure back with you, Ise~ I'll come for it, and at that time you better be ready." - Her words sounded like a threat but her thoughts were a bit different.

(You're so similar to him; courageous, brave and never willing to give up. But I need to confirm it. You certainly are different from anyone I have met Ise, you're really special~)

The Goddess seemed to be interested in him. Well it seems that for a Goddess of Love and War her way of accepting someone was through a fight.

(It seems his words were right, I should...) - With a new goal on her mind the Goddess gave him a quick glance, a wink and then left, disappearing from the Palace.

Seeing her leave, the three released a breath they didn't know they were holding.

"We were really lucky..." - They nodded at his words.

*CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!*

The entire realm was falling apart and the shaking of the Earth became more intense.

"We need to leave!" - Fuuki yelled.

"How?! The treasure doesn't work and we're exhausted!" - Ericia replied with worry on her voice.

[Fox! Use whatever Senjutsu you have left on my Partner! Try to make him regain enough energy to use the ' **Hell Gate'** that's the only choice!] - The gauntlet on his left arm told the three of them.

"Yes!" - Fuuki nodded and reached Issei, then a Green Senjutsu Hexagon appeared on her hands and started to transfer her power.

*QUAKE! QUAKE!*

The Earth trembled and started to fragment into pieces, everything started to fall into the Dimensional Gap due to a hole on the barrier that kept them here.

The three were anxious, they knew that using this was their only hope. And since the barrier that kept this place sealed was destroyed after their combat, they hoped that Issei was capable of taking them out of this place.

"Hurry, hurry." - Fuuki kept telling herself while Ericia was at the other side of Issei with an anxious look on her eyes.

Seeing her like that Issei grabbed her hand and told her.

"Don't worry, we'll leave this place together, I swear." - His voice sounded soft and conforming something really odd in him.

Ericia was amazed at his words, but soon she just thought.

(If you keep saying and doing things like that, I'll turn out like Fuuki, madly in love with you.) - She finally accepted her feelings for him. Those words made any doubt she had on her choice, vanish.

Then she smiled at him and nodded her head.

"I trust you." - Her smile made him blush, never had he seen her like that.

"T-Thanks..." - He blushed and stuttered while he answered, making Ericia smile.

(You look cute like that.) - Her thoughts made her blush as well.

Fuuki saw all of this with dead eyes. - (Well, seems my plan will start even before I thought.) - As she thought that, she smiled beautifully.

(~Soon we'll become a couple!~ And then we'll do a loooot of stuff. ~HeHeHe~) - Her perverted thoughts made her drool.

Soon the place deteriorated even more and managed to wake the three of them from their daydreaming.

"We need to leave, now!" - Issei then started to gather his Aura and with great difficulty formed a messy ' **Hell Gate'.**

The gate seemed bent and tattered, obviously his current Aura level wasn't suitable.

"Damn! Not enough!" - He knew that amount of energy wasn't sufficient.

"Seems I need to use something else." - He decided to do what he did before.

Connecting his ' **Hell Gate'** with his heart, he used his Life Force once again to fuel the gate properly.

The gate stabilized itself and soon looked normal, however, he didn't know for how long could he mantain it.

"Quick! Before something happens!" - He urged them to go first, but they shook their heads.

They didn't want to go first, not without him by their side.

Then they grabbed him by the arms and surrounded their necks with them, helping him move appropriately.

Thankful, Issei focused on the gate and soon after before the palace was destroyed, they crossed the gate.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Golden City—-**

* * *

 **.**

The three appeared from a portal right at the bottom of the pyramid.

The three kneeled on the ground and for once they felt relaxed and happy they made it out alive.

That Goddess was certainly something else, they couldn't fight her when she was serious, they only fought her adequately thanks to their teamwork and planning.

"Oh! There you are!" - Behnam was actually near their location and seeing something weird happen, he came to check it out. He thought it was the other three that came with them.

Seeing it was indeed them he walked closer, but never would have he expected seeing them in such a bad shape. It seemed as if they just went through a war.

The black-haired woman looked sickly pale and her body was trembling, barely capable of standing up on her own. Her dress was ripped and blood came from her left leg and her shoulder.

The white-haired woman was covered in dry blood and was panting heavily, she seemed wounded and exhausted. The sleeve of one of her arms was gone and her armor was dented and cracked in different places. Her hair was messy and was spiting some blood from her mouth.

The man looked barely conscious, he was heavily wounded and was being held by the two woman. His chest was bare and his clothing was bathed in blood, many bruises were seen on his sleeveless arms and on his face. He had a bloody nose and cuts all over his chest.

The three looked really bad. Seeing them like that Behnam couldn't stop his scream, scared of what they just went through.

"What happened to you?!" - Behnam asked while frozen in place. His face looked pale thanks to seeing the terrible states they were in.

"What's happening here?" - Jesper came from a building behind his father but soon stopped as he saw the three of them.

His eyes went wide at the sight in front of him, his brain barely registered the scene. The three of them looked as if they just survived a battle to the death!

"You don't want to know." - Those were Issei's words. He didn't even look at them.

The women at his sides nodded their heads and tried to catch their breaths.

Issei then told them. - "We need to leave, being here is dangerous with her on the look."

This place was her territory so they needed to get out, and fast.

"Yes, I know, give me a minute until I can use the 'Magatama'. " - Fuuki told him while finally calming her breath.

"Where are we going?" - Ericia asked as she stood properly, finally feeling better than before.

"Anywhere. Better if it's a place that has a Faction. That way she won't be capable of getting near us that easily. Aim for a deserted spot not far away from civilization, we need a place to rest and heal." - Issei explained while feeling dizzy, his sight blurry.

(Damn! Using my Life Force made my body go weak.) - Issei knew that he was barely hanging onto his consciousness.

"I agree, we should leave now." - Ericia agreed with Issei. She was anxious, she could see him about to lose consciousness and that made her worry.

Their conversation fell onto the ears of the two humans, but they didn't seem to care. Their only wish was to get out of here, and fast!

" _Break the boundaries between worlds, Yasakani-No-Magatama, Transfer!"_ \- Having just enough energy to use the treasure, Fuuki started the chant.

Soon the portal appeared right behind them and increased in size, just enough for the three to pass it.

Without making a noise the three of them vanished from the ancient golden city, hoping to appear in a decent location so they could rest.

"What just happened?" - Behnam, that just watched this, was confused. He did really understand what just happened.

"I don't know." - Jesper was also the same.

Both looked at each other with a confused look in their eyes. They just witnessed three supernatural creatures come out of the void and talk about something that didn't make any sense for them and after that they just left.

They stood there not moving for quite some time, staring at the position the three were currently at, but nothing happened.

This moment, for them, became one of the weirdest experiences in their lives.

They never really understood what just happened at that moment, nor what they were talking about and not even in the future did they understood this. But of one thing they were certain, whatever it was, it was something that they will never talk about.

* * *

END

* * *

.

(Edited A Random Day Around April)

—-

New chap, long and really fun to write, hope you like it.

Sorry about not posting but things with my family were tough, two close family members were hospitalized during the same week and that just killed my mood.

Right now I'm ending my semester so many projects needed to be done, finals are also right around the corner so I've been busy, but after everything is done I'll go back to normal updates.

Thanks all for your words really helped me in writing this chapter, especially to those that PM me.

Also thanks to those who like my story, It means a lot that you guys like it, it makes me want to do more and more and gets me inspired!

(Interesting fac: While writting this I was downing a bottle of whiskey and a couple of beer bottles while watching a childrens movie I loved as a kid, the name is 'The Road to El Dorado'. Hahahaha really helpful)

Thought that comment could cheer anyones day, if they were having a bad one. Hope it helped!

Ps: I edited the former chaps to make them easier to read, well at least in my opinion, also corrected Grammar mistakes, hopefully now its better than before.

.

.

—-

Answers:

Laserbr0: Thanks for your words makes me think I'm actually doing a good work writing this story. Every time I upload a chapter my stomach feels the same so I undertand, maybe the nerves? Who knows! Rose won't be on his team sadly, but I'll make their interactions interesting, hahaha. Don't worry I undertand you, she will certainly be with Issei.

alabamaman: I did my best with their interactions but I know I can still improve! Next chaps will be about them and their talks so I hope I can do a good Dialogue between all of them.

J0K3R: You guessed right! That should be the amount left before the games. His pieces I took some of the reviews suggestions and actually took some characters and added some (no spoilers). About that, you gave me an idea with that last comment! Hahaha that will certainly be fun to do!

Hippie Painter: Thanks! I think I've been improving and sooner or later I'll do a really great chapter for you all to enjoy!

vercingetorix2: Thanks! I have been thinking about it, maybe I will, depends on how the chapters go.

TatsuyaShiva4: Next Chapter should make you reallyyyy happy. It will be fun that's for sure. About Shiva I thought it would be more fun to give him those pieces that way it would sort of balance it out. Issei been brothers with him... ok sounds good! Sorry about the confusion with the Pieces but when I wrote it I just got too excited, haha... well it made the story more interesting in that regard!

Tanker 17: No there will be a make but I need to flesh out the details for that one, needs to make sense. Leonidas... hmmm... maybe I can do something about that but not with him, sounds like an interesting character to write about! A trap? Hmmm... curious about that but for now no. The Shinto? Of course, it's the whole world. He will, my friend, he will to that I promise!

freeforall546: Ban won't be added, an apology. I don't think I can write his personality accurately, plus giving him a backstory to actually fit in, sounds like a mess.

Dracaris5470: Think about it like its your own family, for me I certainly wouldn't want them to know something that will practically mentally scar them. But that's up to the person. They are actually doing it because they thinks is the best for them, and well I do it because... the drama... certainly good for the plot, hahahaha! Yes it would be harsher but once again I need a plot and that will certainly be something to write about!

Psychosync: Thanks! I really hoped you liked this one took me a lot to write, soecially her backstory almost made me have an aneurism. Millichas won't know about it until later on in the story it should be like Rias Parents, after all is a top grade secret. One again Thanks for your words! Really makes me want to write even more!

adislt: No, Issei just gave vague words and reasons, he wasn't mentally stable. Yes I should think about more personal motives for the ORC to cheat on him, give me some time, I'll have something! I already have some ideas! Who says that alcohol isn't a good friend to help you write stories or give details? The whiskey on my side and the beers I had to drink to get some kind of inspiration while writing this say otherwise!

Mario (guest): I think I'll fuse ideas. Yours isn't bad, plus I think I can do some things and get you and someone elses recomendation to appear in the story. But need to think of a way to actually work...

mir19: My friend, Thanks for your words, really made me get back to finishing this story. The HolySwords, at least those four, were indeed created by the God of the Bible, I think I missed something need to check it out...

Gammagyro: Good songs, helped me while doing some projects I had on the to-do list. For now, I need the plot armor strong! I really need to, things need to get going and for now I'll just blame his ill luck. I think you should start writing your own story, you have great ideas and I think you could do great! Some things, due to my own convenience, can't be written on this story. I should get Ophis and the rest some screen time, but I just don't have the time, but I think I have an idea of how to do it. But yes that mode in a way could be his Trump Card. Reconcile... nah. To boring for me. Painless Deaths, hahahaha, oh! I can't wait to start writing that, man it will be fun! Don't worry about it, I also love Darksiders, just bought a PS4 just to play that beauty!

Czeschus: So Yandere Rossweisse for the win? Hell Yeah! Yes it would be Heaven! I wish to write that response, oh man, it will be so fun. Ericia can win in a battle of attrition, if he uses his everything for a single attack then she could lose, after all, she's too confident and proud, that's due to her own experience in life. The team name came to me thanks to a rather famous novel (I think you should have heard of it) so I thought that it was a good name, you know with theirs goal of fighting and traveling. His parents... shit... forgot about them, but for now they'll enjoy their cruise, need them there for a while, thanks for the reminder btw.

wahyubison: Glad you liked it! Hahahah, next chapter I should give them some screen time show how they been doing.

saliki2 (guest): Thanks for the words! I hope this chapter turned out good enough, maybe it did? Not entiredly sure.

MidnightRider01: Thank you, means a lot! Really it does. Hope you liked this one, it cost to write far more than you can think.

Tacbon20: She won't be, as tempting as that is I can fall for the temptation! New Characters mainly, but in the end who knows? The story at least to how I originally wrote it changed a lot! Mainly due to everyone's opinion and thanks to that is this story, in my words, is quite good. Decent at least, everythings has flaws but I just hope to not have may or rather too obvious flaws.

leader dbz: Thought it would be interesting, well that and I... well...forgot... I have too many things in my head and slipped but oh well turned out fine! (I hope...)

Lightning-Squall: Thanks! You really think so? I think this story is decent enough still a long way to reach the high leagues!

DrakeAedus: Just Today (Friday... I hope I didn't delayed it more...) Trihexa, nope, that's too much of OPness even for me that would just be broken as fuck. I need it to be balanced, sort of...

TheReaderofGods: Amatersau, I will think about it, sound intriguing and fun. Maybe I will, huhuhu, definetly... interesting...

OsteoPoro: Thanks! I just think that with some characters I can't give them a good personality so that's why I don't step into those realms. Soon in about 3 maybe 4 chapters tops will the game begin, sorry for the long wait.

JohnnyBoi: Yeah I thought they needed it too. Glad you liked the interactions of the Faction Leaders made me angry as well hahaha. About Rose she won't be on his team but she will always be with him after all she threatened to castrate the strongest Fallen-Angel in History for him, I think that's proof enough of how much she likes him. The guys, I still don't have any plans for them, not yet, but good ending for them? Ha! Good joke, made me laugh a bit. About Vali, I certainly am, just haven't thought too much about it.

Dominus1389: Sure!

Andr Neto: Justo hoy, o mañana... pasado mañana? perdi la noción del tiempo hace días!

Erza Rutherford: Thanks?

Just a Guest (guest): I need to think about it, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, for now; team, game, guys, ORC and some others. (cool name btw)

Tjboomer83: Thanks! It makes me want to write more, that's for sure.

Bluefang129: I'm grateful, I thought about that one for a looong time. Yeah the reason was better in my head once I wrote about it, it became really, really difficult to explain. Well I can only blame myself for that one, but for now I'm also glad that's done, kind of compesated it with the Leaders reactions, that was my intention, glad it worked.

Ocean of Neon: Happy to hear that. Hope you liked this one.

HeavenAsunder (Guest): It will take some time but for now things will go kind of slowly... nah who I'm I joking, max 4 chaps before tournament!

hcook10: Thank you! The team members I already got them but for other teams I'm willing to hear them. If you wish, through a PM or a Review whatever is easier.

Chibi Chibi Chibi Sensei: Glad to hear of another author! The tournament should start at some point in three or four chapters. And about his reactions to the guys, that will be fun to write! Already have some insults planned, hahahaha. They won't know right off the bat, rather by other means still need to think it through. The girls... lets just say... a tour around the 9 Circles of Hell with you experimenting the punishments would be by far better... Thanks for your words, I hope it turned out well!

Havenot14: She will like her, in his own way, well that's for now. Hahaha, yes my native language isn't English so I thank your words. (I'm trying to improve though!)

Salaver: Yes I'm positively thinking about it, great Trump Card to have, that's for sure.

—-

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But well Thanks for reading and...

See you Later!


	11. Chapter 10 - Bonds, Unions, and Unknown

Chapter 10

(Thoughts)

'Important Words'

"Dialogue" -

 **Attacks, Boosted Gear**

[Good Old Ddraig]

{The Albion}

*Magic Circle Communication. Among Others*

 _Chanting!_

* * *

 **Bonds, Unions, and the Unknown.**

* * *

 **.**

Right now deep inside the Hyoudou Mansion two people were fighting against each other.

* _Clang! Clang!*_

The sound of metal colliding could be heard everywhere.

At this moment Kiba Yuuto was having a dilemma. He couldn't understand how the woman in front of him could become so strong, so fast.

As he began thinking a magic circle the size of a person appeared above his entire body. It was bright blue in color and held many different Runes on its outer layer.

From it, a chilling amount of energy could be felt. And soon enough the circle emitted a small blue light.

"Damn it!" - Feeling frustrated he swore under his lip.

Clutching the sword in his hand he tried to cut the circle in half before it was done charging. However, he never expected what came next.

The woman in front of him disregarded everything in her eyes and flew towards him at a breakneck speed.

Frustrated, yet again, he slammed his left leg on the ground while moving both of his arms to slash the circle above with his sword.

From his leg, a series of sharp, disproportionate swords literally came out of the ground. Rushing in a straight line with speed in no way inferior to the woman.

The swords varied in design, from normal bastard swords, to ones that had a serrated edge, and others that were just the edge of the sword itself. They all just moved in a straight line, trying to buy time for their master.

* _Crack! Crack! Crack!*_

The moment they hit their target they shattered into pieces. Quickly turning into brilliant particles of golden light.

However, something good happened. The moment the sword in his hand landed on the magic circle above his head, it was completely cut in half.

(I'm lucky... There won't be a next time, not in front of her.) - He thought while turning his head around.

He moved his sword horizontally in front of him, covering his chest with the flat end of it. The palm of his other hand rested on the swordpoint.

He heard the voice of the woman who was breaking his swords.

"Do not believe that was all!" - Her chilling voice made him wince.

The woman was an amazing beauty, with a head full of silver-white hair and a pair of sapphires as eyes. Those eyes held no pity nor fear. They were filled with calm anger that fuelled her body to work at twice of her max.

She wore a pair of gauntlets and greaves silver in color. She had an armored skirt that covered everything below her waist up till her knees. And below that, she had a pair of black stockings that hugged her beautiful legs.

On top, she wore a breastplate. Covering her curves but in no way reducing the beauty she had. In between the gaps of her armor some black clothing, the same material as her stockings, covered her body.

She had a weird helmet, only covering the sides of her head and her forehead. A feather that shone with a mystic light was at the right-hand side of her head.

She was Rossweisse who was 'sparring' with Kiba.

As Kiba saw the woman, he felt a chill creep up his spine. Then he acted on instinct as he saw a multitude of similar magic circles block his surroundings. They were all in different colors and runes, but the energy was heart-wrenching.

"Sword Birth! Blade Blacksmith!" - Using both of his Sacred Gears at the same time, he surrounded himself in a wall of holy and demonic swords. Clearly using them as shields.

The magic circles then shot their magic. The energy could be felt even inside the wall of swords. It was a clear, lethal blow, aimed to cripple.

* _BOOOOOOOMM!_ *

It soon landed onto the wall of swords, breaking them as if they were paper.

Rossweisse could be seen standing at the distance, her eyes never left her opponent for even a second.

"Was that enough?..." - She murmured as she saw the cloud of smoke forming at the distance.

However, a silhouette came flying towards her from the cloud of dust.

"Tch! Not enough power." - She muttered as she created two white magic circles in both of her hands.

She then ran her hands through them and those circles reached and covered her gauntlets.

As they reached their last part of the gauntlets they shattered like broken glass and the shards fell onto the metal itself, changing the dull silver color into a pure white.

" _Megingjord." -_ She said while raising her guard.

Kiba reached her at an extremely fast speed. Clearly using his trait as a Knight.

Then he swung his sword in a diagonally way, aiming to end the duel as fast as he could. His Balance Breaker was already active and the Holy-Demonic sword was on his hands for all to see.

Rossweisse, on the other hand, lifted her left arm towards her side, covering the left side of her face.

* _CLAAAANNNGG!_ *

Metal ringing echoed across the battlefield.

The sword was stopped from moving closer thanks to her gauntlet. It did, however, chip off a fair chunk of her gauntlet.

The ground beneath them was dented in thanks to the strength of that blow, but Rossweisse stood tall.

"You've improved your close quarters. Just how much have you improved?" - Kiba told her as he put more strength onto his sword, wanting to force her to her knees.

Rossweisse used her right arm to support her left, and spread both of her legs stabilizing her trembling body.

"As much as I need to be at his side and not let anything like that happen to him again!" - She answered with a brilliant glow in her eyes.

Kiba widened his eyes in amazement. - (You really have a special something to find women that are willing to go this far for you, Ise-kun.)

Then Rossweisse smirked, right in front of Kiba a weird Norse Circle appeared.

This was like three concentric circles that were no bigger than a head. The color was a pale blue and the freezing aura made his sword gain a layer of frost.

(She created a magic circle without any signs of doing it!? She used only her instinct, no physical movement whatsoever!) - He was shocked speechless. Such a perfect control over her magic reserves and the magic circle was ridiculous!

Trying to get away, Kiba decided to step back and avoid such a hit. But he was a bit late. - " _Arctic Wind!"_

From the magic circle a freezing gale came from it, aimed at an extremely close distance right towards his stomach. Such a powerful spell was no joke!

(Damn it!) - He tried to twist his body around, but he was still struck by the Nordic Spell.

* _BOOOOOMMM!_ *

He was sent flying far away, he was shot across the entire training field.

At the same moment, a huge pillar of ice was formed in the distance, reaching tens of meters in height.

Rossweisse felt a sense of relief seeing that, she knew that spell landed perfectly. However, she felt dizzy. - "Haa... Haa... Haa..." - Her breath was rough maybe because they have been fighting for quite some time.

(Damn it, my stamina again! How could I be so weak?! Ise wouldn't even be sweating now and yet I'm so exhausted! How pathetic!) - She thought to herself.

She knew that Kiba had a lot more stamina, he wasn't even breathing roughly only sweating. Yet here she was almost about to faint from exhaustion.

(I need to train my stamina even more! My control and power have improved even more than before thanks to those trainings!) - She thought of upping her training regimen.

* _CRAAASHHH!*_

The pillar in the distance was destroyed as quickly as it came. The cause, of course, Kiba.

"You almost had me Rossweisse-sensei but it was still not enough to bring me down." - He cleaned the blood that fell from the corner of his mouth and fixed the grip in his new sword.

Rossweisse recognized that sword, after all, it was from her Pantheon.

"...Dáinsleif..." - She muttered as he saw the sword in his hands.

"Indeed. The moment the Spell landed I used Dáinsleif's ability to control ice in order to mitigate the damage done to me. Thankfully, I was fast enough." - Kiba smiled as he began walking towards his opponent once again.

Rossweisse stared at the sword, probably thinking about something.

Dáinsleif was a beautiful light sword that had an icy-blue edge and a pair of intertwined branches as its guard.

It was a long and thin sword, probably not thicker than the cover of a book. But the icy aura it held was extremely powerful and quite frightening.

As Kiba was walking he suddenly vanished in a burst of speed. Making the Valkyrie widen her eyes and react just on instinct.

Kiba appeared at her left side and stabbed with the sword point. Rossweisse created as many magic circles as possible from her left hand, trying to block the might in that swing.

* _Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!*_

They broke one after the other, but they fulfilled their purpose.

In her right hand another three-layered concentric circle appeared. This one green in color and expelling an aura that was twice as strong as her last spell.

Throwing her arm forward she chanted. - " _Mistral!"_

Two visible gales appeared from the circle, soon twisting themselves into one another and creating a drill of wind that was as big as a person in diameter. The power it held made the ground underneath to just disappear.

Kiba this time was prepared. He created a magic circle and pulled something from it. Another sword soon appeared in his left hand. This one however, different from the one in his right.

It was a sword completely silver in color with a handle that was too big to wield even with both hands. The sides of the sword curved outwards as they reached the guard itself. Soon covering the two long crosses that were acting as the guard.

"Balmung!" - He mentioned the name of the sword and a huge tornado surrounded him.

As soon as the spell landed it completely turned into soft calm winds under the power of this Demonic Sword. Rossweisse was not unsettled by this, she was even smirking at the sight.

As the winds dispersed, a tired Kiba could be seen. - (Damn! Using these swords still costs a lot of demonic power and stamina...)

Rossweisse then changed her position, placing her left foot in front and the other behind. She then gathered her Magic and chanted again. - " _Draconic Power!"_

Bending her whole body as it was covered by a red aura, Rossweisse released a kick with her right leg aimed at Kiba's chest.

He widened his eyes and tried to block with both swords in his hands, forming an 'X' shape. He put them in front of his body and used them as a shield.

Rossweisse's smirk increased in size. She just muttered another spell, expending almost all of her magical reserves. - " _Ride Lightning!"_

Increasing her body's speed, reflexes and flexibility. She bent her right leg at an impossible angle and passed his guard.

Her perfect leg struck the middle of his chest.

* _BAAAAAANNNNGGG!*_

The red aura sent the body of the youth flying even faster and further than before.

* _Blargh!_ * - Coughing blood mid-flight, Kiba felt his ribs crack at the point of impact.

(She set me up!) - Was his thought as he was sent flying, crashing against the wall.

As she saw this, Rossweisse held a triumphant smirk on her face. Although her leg was wobbly from the last attack and her face was pale, she knew that this battle was hers.

* _CRAAAASSSHH!_ *

Crashing against the wall at the end of the field. Cracks similar to spider webs covered the entire surface of the wall. Kiba at that moment was seeing stars.

(She got me.) - Were his thoughts as he tried to stand up. But something cold against his neck made him stop.

A sword made of pure magic was against his neck. It held the shape of a crescent moon and the color was the same as silver. At the end of the sword a woman with a pale face could be seen, her face held no emotion but her eyes betrayed that expression.

"Yield." - She demanded. Making the blonde knight sigh in hopelessness.

"I yield." - He said as he felt the sword leave his neck.

"You've improved far too much Rossweisse-sensei. This month has been quite something for you." - Standing up while holding his chest, he complimented the woman.

"Thanks. But it's not enough. It's not enough to be by his side. I need to be better, stronger." - She said as she bit her lips.

Kiba sighed at the sight. He knew why she was doing this, and he didn't know how to reply.

"Just keep this pace and you will become even stronger in no time!" - He smiled at her trying to comfort her.

"Hn." - She nodded her head and left.

Walking away from the training field, she began thinking.

(Issei... Oh Issei, when will I see you again? When can we finally be together? I can't wait to be at your side. And this time I will stay with you, until the very end.)

A smile naturally found its way into her face, making her already breathtaking appearance become ten times better.

That was the smile of a young woman deeply in love.

That was the smile of this woman that wanted to see her man as soon as possible.

(I need to wait a bit more. Just a bit more. I know I will see you soon... Ise...) - She looked at the ceiling of the training field. Staring at it as if in a trance.

* * *

 **—-Scene Break / Main Living Room; Hyoudou Mansion—-**

* * *

 **.**

Back upstairs, the entire Gremory group and their boyfriends were preparing themselves for something. Something that needed to be done before anything else.

Sitting on a long, cream-colored couch. A woman with red hair began talking.

"Well everyone, it's finally time to go to the Underworld." - Her voice held some kind of Authority making the men present put their entire attention on her.

At her side, a beautiful woman, young in age and with deep-black hair smiled at them.

"The Tournament will start in a little bit more than a Month and a half, and we need to get the Pieces." - Rias told them while crossing one leg on top of the other.

"Then why going to the Underworld?" - A man with short, blond hair and blue eyes asked the woman with some confusion written on his face.

"Ara-Ara Reiji~ Because the Pieces can only be found there~" - Akeno replied why covering her mouth with her left hand.

"So we're going to the Underworld?!" - A small, young man asked with clear emotion in his voice.

He even stood up from the couch he was sitting on, surprising his brothers at his sides. He then walked closer to Rias and Akeno, practically running at them.

"Yes Hijama-chan. We need to go there as soon as we can. HuHuHu~" - Akeno answered while giggling.

The boy turned around and looked at all of the ones inside this room. He briefly paused and looked at the clearly expensive and high-class room.

A huge place that could fit more than a dozen people. With a brown carpet with some weird engravings he couldn't understand as well as many accessories that were either on top of tables, or on the walls themselves.

Many couches could be seen. Almost all of them full of beautiful woman. The other spots were occupied by his friends and brothers.

A fancy chandelier with an extremely extravagant design hung from the ceiling. And huge windows could be seen on the wall at his left side.

"Little Brother. Please calm down." - With a gentle smile one of the boys, which was just sitting with him, tried to make the young boy relax.

He had black hair tied into a tail that reached his upper back. His eyes held some gentleness and his teasing smile made the young boy blush in shame.

He was Ryutaro Takahashi, elder brother of little Hijama and the wielder of a Sacred Gear.

"HaHaHa, let him be like that Ryutaro! Seeing him like that always makes me smile!" - The other boy at the side told Ryutaro.

He also had black hair with a similar face to his, obviously they were brothers. His name was Souji Takahashi the eldest brother, just by luck.

Ryutaro turned his head and gave a small glare to his brother. Souji, on the other hand, smiled in a challenging way. He was obviously picking a fight with his brother.

"Oh. What's with the look? Do you wish to fight?" - He asked teasingly.

"If the shoe fits." - The response managed to get a twitching eyebrow from Souji.

"Haa!? Then lets fight bastard!" - He stood up from his place and yelled at him.

"What a coincidence my hands have been itching for a good fight!" - Ryutaro stood up and glared at his brother.

They stood in front of each other with no more than a few fingers in distance. However, before they could finally fight, a pair of voices stopped their quarrel.

""Ryutaro/Souji! Do not fight here!"" - Two women stood up from their positions and yelled at the same time.

They were two young females with brown and blue hair respectively. They both had anger written all over their faces.

""But he started it!"" - They turned their heads around and replied.

""We don't care!"" - They answered back.

"Souji stop fighting right now, or next time you and me spar I won't hold back at all!" - Xenovia have him an angry glare that manged to scare the man.

"Ryutaro, you're suposed to be the mature here! How could you continue a fight you didn't even start?" - Irina told the man who only lowered his head in shame.

"Wait! So Souji started the fight?" - Xenovia turned her head around and asked Irina with a small glare.

Irina wasn't even bothered by the glare.

"Of course! Do you think Ryutaro would start it?" - Her answer held some sharpness.

"Ohhh! So it's going to be like that, huh!" - Xenovia turned her whole body around and leaned forward highlighting some of her assets.

"Huh? Then how did think it was going to be, Muscle-brain?" - Irina also leaned forward, cutting the distance she had with Xenovia.

"Who did you call muscle-brain?! Self-proclaimed Angel!" - Xenovia gave a glare to Irina who gave one on her own.

Sparks could be seen coming off of their eyes. They were just about to fight one against the other.

The brothers, seeing them like that, decided to interfere.

"Xenovia, please calm down. Please don't destroy anything..." - Souji said to his girlfriend. A drop of sweat on his cheek.

"Irina, please. We don't need another fight between you two." - Ryutaro told his girlfriend as well.

""Shut up! Both of you!"" - They turned her heads around and said at the same time, managing to make the two brothers retreat in fear.

""Sorry...""- They replied and hung their heads in defeat.

On the other side of the room, basically near the door. A man and a woman watched this with pity in their eyes.

The man had a mixture of brown and blond hair, giving the atmosphere of a foreigner. His blue eyes held only a trace of pity as he looked at the two men on the other side of the hall. However, his face held no expression whatsoever.

The woman was completely different to him.

She had a head full of golden hair and gentle blue eyes that showed naivety and worry. She kept looking between her two best friends with unsheath tears in her eyes, unsure of what to do.

"Aa..aaa..aaa..." - She kept mumbling uncoordinately with both hands on top of her mouth.

She then turned around and looked at her boyfriend.

"Ken-san please do something. If things keep going like this then a fight will start again!" - She managed to ask her boyfriend.

He, on the other hand, only looked at the fight and sweated. The aura they both emitted was huge, if he goes there he won't come back.

"Asia, I can't." - He replied, completely certain of his words.

The woman puffed her cheeks and looked at him. But the man didn't respond to that, he only lifted an eyebrow up.

Near Asia, a young woman could be seen. - "Do not worry Asia-senpai. I'll tell them." - Her voice emotionless.

She was short in height with a head full of white hair and hazel toned eyes that seem to shine in the dark.

She stood up from her comfy seat, stopping her sweet meal, and talked to the two women that just kept fighting.

"Xenovia-senpai, Irina-senpai. Don't fight, we have things to do." - That was her only comment.

The two woman turned to look at her and said. - ""But she started it!"" - Clear anger in their voices.

"Doesn't matter." - She replied back and sat down on her former location, she kept on munching on the pile of sweets on top of the oak table.

"Haaa..." - A sigh was heard inside the room.

Rias had a small headache thanks to their little fight.

"Thanks, Koneko." - She said to her Rook. - "Xenovia, Irina, we need to go. So stop fighting over something dumb."

Rias told them as she held a hand against her forehead, extremely tired due to this.

The women decided to stop fighting and only said that this wasn't the end of it. Then they sat down on the couch with their arms crossed and their heads turned.

"Haaa..." - Seeing them like that Rias sighed once again.

"Ufu-Ufu~" - Akeno that was standing next to her giggled discreetly.

"Anyway, we need to go to the Underworld right now. We need the Tournament Pieces so that the team could finally be formed!" - Authority filled her voice once again.

These words managed to excite everyone present, wishing to begin this trip as soon as possible. Even Irina and Xenovia stopped thinking about their recent fight. Their expressions changed to smiles, stars present in their eyes.

They all started to think about the Tournament itself, wishing for it to begin. The wait was killing them!

Of course, their reasons to participate on it were different.

For the males and boyfriends, they just wished to see how amazing this new world they were just recently introduced to, could be.

They read some stories, some really incredible stories that seemed fake, that thanks to the Library in this house.

Myths, and Legends about the world. If even 10% of what they read turned out to be true, then everything in the world couldn't be explained with just words alone!

Even sometimes, when they were alone with their girlfriends, they would ask about the things they had done. Making then feel awe and respect to all of them. They were the boyfriends of such amazing women!

However, something caused them to feel envy and even a bit of hatred.

Hyoudou Issei, that name always managed to make them scowl and glare at an empty space.

He was someone that did all of that with them! And was even the Protagonist of almost all of the events they told them!

They couldn't believe it! They refused to believe it! How could a guy like him, a perverted dumb brat, turn out to be someone so ridiculous?!

Fighting against the strongest Youth in Underworld and achieving victory. Fighting against terrorists in separate occasions. Fighting against the Evil-God Loki and defeating him as well.

Completely destroying an entire Faction of the Khaos Brigade. Crippling the other Faction of the Khaos Brigade by defeating the user of the strongest Longinus and the descendant of a Hero! And so much more!

They still could remember, when they asked Kiba who the Hakuryuuko actually was, the shock they received when he told them the truth. The shock they felt was second only to the first time they discovered who Hyoudou Issei was!

(How could he be so impressing?! Having a rival and nemesis that's just like a bad joke of the Heavens?!) - Reiji began to think while looking at his own hands. He bit his lip in frustration, why couldn't he be like that guy?

Souji quickly thought of his worst enemy, Hyoudou Issei, when the mention of the games was made.

(That bastard! It's impossible for him to be like that?! It's a joke!) - His hands turned into fists due to his anger. - (I won't believe it! I'll never will!) - He was in denial.

Ryutaro looked at his brother. Thanks to seeing the glare he had in his eyes he understood what he was thinking.

(Hyoudou Issei... Current Sekiryuuttei, War Hero, Saviour of the Three-Biblical Factions, The most abnormal Sekiryuuttei in History, Dragon Slayer...) - He just kept repeating the many titles he has received, at least, the ones he knew.

Ken stared at the ceiling.

(So he's so... abnormal, that even his Rival is as well.) - He felt frustrated.

(Vali Lucifer, a direct descendant of Lucifer himself. The original 'Father of Lies' and the first to 'Fall'.) - His thoughts kept going in between the current Sekiryuutei and the Hakuryuukou. Envy clearly present in them.

Hijama was just feeling a sour taste in his mouth. Seeing his friends and his brothers' faces he understood them well.

Every time they talk about the incredible things the Supernatural World had to offer, their minds just went towards that figure.

That silhouette that seemed to look at them as if mocking them. As if saying that they will never be at his level.

(Is he such a being? Someone that everyone, even creatures of other Factions, care for and respect?) - Hijama was thinking.

The girls, on the other hand, just kept thinking about finding Issei. That was their goal and the fuel that kept them running during these days.

Rias and Akeno looked at each other. Unspoken determination inside their eyes.

Xenovia clutched her fist. The light in her eyes was less bright than before.

Asia, Ravel, and Irina shared the same thoughts.

(Ise-san... I pray to the Lord that you're fine.) - Asia joined her hands and began begging to the Lord for his safety.

(Issei-sama, I wonder where and what you're doing right now...) - Ravel stared at the ceiling, tears threatened to come out of her eyes but she fought the sensation.

(...Senpai...) - Koneko just kept thinking about her senpai, worried about him.

However, everyone quickly dispelled their thoughts. Feeling like that won't solve anything.

"We should get going." - Rias was the first to speak. Melancholy in her voice.

She removed the tense environment that this room now had and stood up. A serious and determined expression was on her face.

But before she could continue the next phase of the plan, everyone felt a familiar presence near the door.

A woman could be seen walking across the hallway, coming closer to the room.

Her form of walking was elegant and her beauty was second to none!

Rossweisse, after her spar, removed her armor. Instead, a black and grey bodysuit with additional purple pieces was donned on her. Her hair was loose, falling down her back like molten silver, and her blue eyes held a bit of tiredness.

Both of her stockings were still on her. This time she had no sleeves on her arms, showing her white skin that was similar to snow.

As she came inside the room everyone stared at her. In a sense, entranced by her beauty.

The men had blushes on their cheeks, and a misty look in their eyes. They averted their eyes from her diabolical figure, afraid of what their girlfriends would do if they saw them like that.

But all of them had different thoughts in their heads.

(Wow! She's definitely beautiful.) - Little Hijama was the purest, only entranced by her beauty that was in a way, indescribable.

(She's a bombshell! A complete bombshell! How would others not notice this?!) - Souji screamed inside his head. Almost ripping his hair out in frustration, but managed to control himself.

(I can't believe how stunning she is. I envy Hyoudou for capturing her heart. He sure is a lucky man...) - Reiji thought.

He turned his hand into a fist, angry at the difference between them. Such a beautiful woman was here, waiting for him. She had a brilliant gleam in her eyes every time she talked about the one she loved.

He was envious as a man and secretly felt even more inferior to him.

(Haaa... I just don't know what to say... How could she be so beautiful? A pity she already has someone in her heart, if not, then...) - Ryutaro thought as he kept his line of sight away from Irina.

Ken had no thoughts, he just blatantly stared at her, a light shining in his eyes.

"Rossweisse. Did you finish your spar with Kiba?" - Rias asked her Rook.

Rossweisse just turned her head to look at her.

With emotionless eyes, she replied back at her as she crossed the main door of the room. - "Yes, Rias-san. I managed to improve a bit more and won."

Her words surprised everyone, but especially the men inside the room.

"I see! Amazing Rossweisse! You've improved a lot!" - Rias was happy and wasn't scared of expressing it.

Rossweisse just nodded her head and continued walking across the room towards the stairs at the end of it.

"We're going to get the Pieces for the Tournament. Will you come?" - Rias asked.

She stopped walking and turned her head around.

"Sorry Rias-san but I have things to do. An apology, but I need to improve some of my spells." - She lifted the corner of her mouth giving her a small smile to keep appearances.

"I see..." - She sighed. - "Then how about Kiba?" - She asked once again.

"He is healing his wounds. So I don't think he will be coming up for more than an hour or two." - These words, in a sense, shocked the men.

Kiba was their teacher, and they more-or-less knew of what he was capable of. Suffering a defeat was something they couldn't imagine. But seeing her face, they knew that she wasn't boasting.

"Hmm..." - Rias thought about it, but then gave up.

(I need to get the Pieces as soon as I can, can't waste more time.)

She looked at the Valkyrie and remembered something that they talked with their boyfriends.

(Haaa... I can't believe her obvious feelings for Ise would reach the point in which we needed to tell them that Rossweisse is in love with him. The worst part was how proud she was when we told her what we said to them...) - Rias lamented as she began recalling that memory.

(It's not time for that. Need to focus!) - She hit her cheeks and kept her thoughts straight.

(Gasper is in the Hospital visiting Valerie, he won't be back until later in the afternoon.) - She thought that going to the Underworld without them would be faster.

"Then we will go like this." - She told everyone present, making the men nod their heads and the women to smile.

"I see. Then I'm going." - Rossweisse bid farewell and walked across the room, soon leaving and walking up the stairs.

Unknown to her, and the girls. The men kept watching her until she left. Not missing the sweet movement of her hips and her elegant bearing that manged to make them sigh once again.

(((((Hyoudou Issei, sure is a lucky man...))))) - They couldn't help but think like that. Envy overflowing from their thoughts.

"Ok everyone! We shall leave." - She yelled and began moving.

Afterward, she created a blood-red magic circle at the center of the room. Some black could be seen at the outer layer of it and on the insides of the circle, a purple light was present.

It was big enough to hold all the people inside the room and maybe a bit more. The Gremory Sigil could clearly be seen at the center of it. However, it was different from her usual magic circle.

It was more profound and definitely more complicated than the usual circle all of the Peerage used.

Rias walked towards the magic circle and stood at the center of it.

The rest soon followed without wasting a single second.

In a brief flash of light, they all disappeared from the Human World.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Underworld, Bael Territory—-**

* * *

 **.**

Appearing from a bright, blood-colored magic circle. A group of youths was seen.

As the light dispersed the group could clearly see the purple, amethyst-colored sky. Amazed by the view the men couldn't think of anything. They stared at it, ignoring their surroundings, a rookie mistake.

"Well everyone we will go to the Bael Castle! It will be quick!" - Rias talked to everyone, purposely avoiding the question of why not going for them in her own territory.

(I can't go home to father and mother, not without Ise. They will ask too many questions and I don't wish to make them worry.) - Rias thought to herself.

(Thanks brother for making a deal to let us come to the Bael territory without any trouble.) - Rias thanked her older brother.

Unknown to her the reason he did this, was to spare his parents from the ugly truth that he knew they would discover if they saw the men next to her daughter and her Peerage.

So he decided to make a deal with 'Zekram Bael' and ask for his sister to come to his territory without passing through all the stops and barriers.

Zekram was curious, but he decided to agree with the deal. He had better things to do, and the Gremory heiress wouldn't do anything serious inside his territory.

* * *

.

Seeing the armored city they were currently at, her Peerage soon discovered they were inside The Main Capital of the Bael Territory; Goetia!

The huge amount of people on the streets were slightly shocked when they saw the magic circle as well as the people coming from it.

"The Gremory Heiress!" - An Orc with a height of ten feet, or three meters, said as he pointed at the woman with blood-colored hair.

"Why are they here?" - Another Devil asked with a hand on his chin, curious about this occurrence.

"Did the Gremory Team came to get their pieces?!" - A Human warrior with leather armor and sandals said while in shock.

Whispers were heard, but Rias and her team clearly ignored them. Their Boyfriends were too amazed with the city itself to notice these whispers.

The city was the one Issei, in the past, had come to get his own pieces. Tall buildings painted in a distinct purple were at the sides, and huge golden light poles were on the sidewalk lighting the streets.

The purple sky could be seen completely, and even what it seemed to be a Sun was present in the sky.

The many buildings were perfectly built, just by looks alone one could guess that they were improved after the War. They were just like the ones in a normal human city but with a touch of something special, something no one could understand.

The men then stopped their daydreaming and looked at Rias.

Before they could speak, she said. - "We need to go to the Bael Castle. My brother told me that the location where we can obtain the Pieces for the Tournament is there."

The men nodded their heads. However, because they were with the Gremory group, they caught the interest of the creatures around the street.

"Hey, who are they?" - A man with the build of a professional wrestler asked to the woman at his side.

She replied while shrugging her shoulders. - "No idea. But if they are with them, they should be important or powerful figures." - She ran her hand across her orange-colored hair, her green eyes looking at them.

"Interesting." - Another man said with a voice loud enough for all to hear. He had long ears and a green vest over a white shirt and green pants. He was oddly enough beautiful, not handsome.

The Gremory Peerage began walking. Their destination was obviously the castle they could see in the distance.

While walking, the girls kept smiles on their faces. The men, however, had a shocked look on their faces and eyes.

Gathering the courage Reiji managed to ask Rias. - "Rias. What are they?" - He pointed at pretty much all of the population.

She widened her eyes slightly but then giggled. - "Right. Forgot this was the first time you've seen other species." - Her words made all the men freeze.

She then continued explaining while walking on the greyish street, not minding their expressions in the slightlest.

"Since the Tournament is on a World Scale, many different species came to the Underworld for their Pieces." - She began explaining.

The men nodded their heads.

"Thanks to that, and the official treaty between Factions. All of the Supernatural World is gathered here." - Rias spoke while moving her hips, catching the glances of many creatures on the street.

"They are probably touring around the city before going for the Pieces for the Tournament. However, my brother told me that it's not so simple to get the Pieces." - Rias told them while slowing down, the people in front of her opened a way so she could pass.

"It seems that there's a trial of sorts before you're allowed to get the Pieces." - This surprised everyone, including her Peerage who didn't know the information.

"But since we're well known, and almost everyone knows about the power of my team and Peerage, we can skip the trial and directly get the Pieces." - She was proud of those words.

Everyone hummed in agreement when she said those words.

"Then, Rias-san. What races came to the Underworld?" - Little Hijama asked while walking in front of his brothers.

"About that..." - She started to look around. Then she decided to explain.

"Well, see those creatures that have green skin but closely resemble humans?" - She asked back. He just nodded.

"Those are Orcs. The ones that stand above 5 meters? Those are gigants. Probably from the Norse due to their blue skin." - She kept talking.

"Then ones that have pointy ears are elfs, extremely beautiful in apperance. They are from the Celtic Pantheon. The ones of the Three-Biblical Factions have white or black feathered wings or like us Devils that have horns, tails, or other special appendixes."

The men nodded in awe. They looked around and saw the many races she described. Every time they saw someone else they held a bit of fear in their hearts.

"Of course, many more species are here. But I can't count them all." - Rias finished her explanation.

As she finished explaining she saw the castle just ahead. She turned her head around and talked to her Peerage.

"Everyone be ready! We just arrived." - She told them.

The men just stood in frozen awe at the sight of the castle.

As if made out of gold, it stood with undescribed arrogance right in the center of the whole Capital of Goetia. Purple flags with the symbol of the Bael Clan were on all of its sides.

A huge line could be seen at the main entrance, right towards the gate. They, however, skipped all of that and walked past everyone.

The ones in line saw them but held their tongues back, they could recognize the Gremory Heiress anywhere.

Rias proudly walked in front of everyone. She moved her hips hypnotically managing to steal many glances of the male population due to her provocation.

Her Queen was just behind her. A gentle smile on her face as both of her hands were in front of her body, pressing her breasts and showing them to all. Managing to get a few nose bleeds from some perverts.

The rest of the women were similarly the same, in a sense they decided to show everyone their beauty, it seems that this habit was thanks to Rias.

As they reached the gate the guards didn't move, they were seemingly frozen due to shock. Then Rias spoke.

"I'm Rias Gremory, heiress to the House of Gremory! I came to get the Pieces for the World Tournament!" - Arrogance was on her words, and pride was excluded off of her body.

The men just stood at the center of their little group. Completely silent and hoping for the best.

The soldiers at the gate widened their eyes, but soon acted for what they trained them for.

"""Gremory-sama! Please come with us!""" - The three soldiers; two males and a female told the heiress.

"Hn!" - She hummed in agreement as she crossed her arms under her chest. A proud pose of course.

Then the female soldier separated herself from the rest and began to guide them.

As they crossed the gate, they saw the Castle and a building that was mainly conformed out of windowpanes on its left side.

"Gremory Princess, that's the building where the tests are being held at. However, due to your achievements in the past, you're exempted from doing them." - She was walking rather fast.

"I'll guide you to the top." - She told her as she opened the door of the building. Everybody followed after her.

* * *

.

After a little more than ten minutes, the Peerage reached the last floor of the entire glass building.

The soldier quickly dismissed herself and left them to walk the last staircase on their own.

Once on top, they saw the silhouette of a very big man.

He wore a form-fitting, short-sleeved, black t-shirt, and black pants with red lines at the sides. He also had a pair of sports sneakers that were brown with the same red lines.

Both of his arms were crossed and he was focusing his sight on a big machine twice his own size.

Rias, the moment she saw him, widened her eyes in shock. Thinking of her misfortune in meeting him here.

He had a couple of bandages in his arms and legs, and some gauzes on his face, mainly on his left cheek. His chest was covered with another bandage going over his shoulder, almost blocking his entire chest.

The man felt the gazes of people behind him and turned his head around, looking over his shoulder. The moment he saw Rias his eyes gained a happy glint and a smile adorned his face.

After that, he fully turned around and started to walk at her direction.

"Rias! Look, how coincidental finding each other here!" - The man with a huge build and purple eyes said to her with a cheerful voice.

"Sairaorg! Yes, what a coincidence..." - She said while some sweat fell down her cheek.

"Ha-Ha! It seems you also came for your Pieces Rias! The Tournament will definitely be something else!" - Sairaorg smiled at her, then he looked behind her.

When the men saw the huge warrior in front of them, they retreated in fright. He excluded the presence of an unclimbable wall, an obstacle they couldn't hope to overcome.

(What a powerful presence! He's on a completely different level!) - Reiji thought while looking at the man in question.

The three brothers couldn't even look straight at him. They were completely petrified due to his own presence. His natural presence was more than enough to stop them in their tracks.

The last of the males lifted his head and looked into the eyes of the man, scared when he saw a fire burning brightly inside of them. He could have sworn that his eyes held an indomitable spirit.

"And, who are they?" - He asked while looking at the males.

This unnerved the entire female Peerage, but Rias acted extremely quick.

"They are Sacred Gears possessors that were staying in my territory. Due to some reasons, we decided to train them so that they could fight against any possible threat." - She told him with seriousness.

"Even though peace is in sight, one never knows. And we rather not have another possible Hero Faction." - Rias's voice was calm and logical.

Sairaorg felt that something was off, but since he didn't exactly find something wrong with her explanation he let it slide.

"Oh! I see! Well it's definitely better to have more people on our side!" - He smiled at his comment. He was extremely friendly.

"Oh!" - He remembered something. - "Where are my manners? My name is Sairaorg, Sairaorg Bael!" - He smiled while placing both hands on his hips.

The men finally understood who was in front of them. They were shocked and couldn't reply to his introduction.

The only one that said something was Reiji, who mumbled in a low voice.

"...The strongest youth in the Underworld..." - He muttered, but Sairaorg managed to hear him.

"HaHaHa! I once was, but not anymore." - His voice sounded melancholic. - "That Title belongs to someone else. However, one day I'll get it back!" - He finished explaining with determination clearly present in his voice.

Hijama then said a name that was inside all the male's heads. - "...Hyoudou Issei..." - His voice seemed hollow as if he wasn't believing his own words.

"Huh? Seems that you know!" - Glad, he replied. - "Yes, Hyoudou Issei has that title! HaHaHa! I truly wish to fight against him again!" - He was ever cheerful.

*Cough! Cough!*

Rias intervened by faking a cough, she didn't want him to say or ask anything else. She couldn't risk anything right now.

"By the way Sairaorg. What happened to you?" - Rias looked at his wounds and she figured out that they were quite something, even for him.

He stopped laughing and looked at her. His eyes changed in demeanor, even his smile was a bit dimmer. After looking at her and her Peerage, he touched the wounds in his chest.

"It's a long story." - These words caught everyone's attention.

Everyone looked at him, hoping for him to explain.

"See, a little bit more than a Month ago I fought with someone. Someone monstrous." - The atmosphere inside the room changed, solemnity replaced the cheerful feeling from before.

The girls just looked into his eyes and saw many different emotions they couldn't understand. But they were shocked when they saw a bit of anxiety in those eyes.

"When I was training in the Bael Mountains, here in the Capital, I met an odd couple of women." - He was serious about it.

He motioned them to walk closer to him. He then pointed at the machine at the center of the room. They understood what he meant.

"See. It seems that they were after either; something or someone inside of my territory. And I, of course, decided to intervene. Never would I have thought that they were so ridiculously powerful, well at least one of them." - His voice was full of cautiousness.

"They didn't say why were they there. But one of the women said that they were definetly here for something. When I heard that, I decided to stop them." - He was walking closer and closer to the center of the floor, where the machine was.

"The surprise I felt when I fought her was ridiculous!" - A small smile adorned his face.

Everyone was just silent, only listening to his words. They knew that something must have happened to get this kind of expression from Sairaorg.

"When I fought her, I was completely destroyed." - He was unexpectedly smiling. - "She was just toying with me all of the time."

"Her physical strength was even above mine and her regeneration was absurd! She could also manipulate shadows and turn them into weapons." - His voice was serious and emotional, even respect could be seen in his eyes.

This caught everyone off guard, Rias and the Peerage especially. They knew how strong he was, and they were sure that unless they ganged-up on him, victory will never be theirs.

Seeing their expressions Sairaorg smiled. He knew that they were also as shocked as he was at that time.

"She was an incredibly beautiful woman." - He smirked. - "Sorry to say this Rias, but she was even more beautiful than you." - He mouthed a sincere apology.

"Her age should also be the same as yours, but her power was on a completely different level!" - Excitement came back to his eyes.

"Even when I used Regulus, I was still beaten until I couldn't figure out which way was North! HaHaHa!" - He laughed at the end.

His comment scared a few, but Rias just bit her lip at the mention of her beauty. She knew that Sairaorg cared little for physical apperance, but to make him say those words, she knew that her beauty wasn't just a little above hers.

The rest of the Peerage was scared. Fighting Sairaorg when he was using his Longinus was extremely difficult to do! Only Issei could defeat him, not even Kiba was a match!

"Since then, I understood that there is always a sky above a sky and person above a person." - Those words held certain wisdom they couldn't understand.

"So I decided to increase my training regimen and well, you can see what happened." - He gave a smile as he pointed at his wounds.

"I see..." - Rias said with anxiety written all over her face.

Akeno had her brows furrowed. Fear and a bit of awe could be seen in her eyes.

Xenovia and Irina were shocked to say the least. Especially Xenovia who has fought against him before. At that moment she was defeated, and that was him not going at it seriously.

Koneko and Ravel looked at each other. They understood each other emotions. The fear in their eyes was pretty obvious to notice.

Asia was trembling, an enemy like that was extremely dangerous! And she was the same age as her Rias-Onesama, this was unbelievable!

The men couldn't understand why they were acting like that. But the fear in their faces was obvious for all to notice.

They hated seeing them like that, so they tried to do something to calm them down. But the voice of Sairaorg stopped them on their tracks.

"By the way, where's Hyoudou Issei?" - This caused everyone to freeze.

Rias swiftly replied. - "Ise is in his house. He decided to use all the time he could to improve. Kiba is sparring with him." - She explained with a tired face.

"Haaa... They just keep going at it."- A hand was against her head and a small smile on her lips, a nice touch in the end to keep appearances.

"HaHaHaHa!" - He was amused by this. - "I understand! So I better keep going at it!" - Sairaorg kept laughing loudly, causing the girls to release a breath they didn't know they were holding.

The men didn't understand this, but kept their silence. In a way, they did understand why the girls didn't want anybody else to know that the Sekiryuutei was missing.

It could cause problems on a major scale. After all, according to the girls, he was quite important for many Factions. If rumors begin to spread about his disappearance, then a mess of huge proportions will be made.

"Sairaorg-sama the Pieces are ready!" - Their thoughts were stopped by a sudden voice.

"Congratulations! You obtained a Mutated Rook!" - A scientist said while giving him a black briefcase.

Sairaorg was slightly shocked but quickly started to laugh.

"Excellent news! HaHaHaHa!" - He obviously was quite satisfied. With this, he could switch Regulus and use the Rook on him!

The scientist then looked at the rest present. He was frozen solid when he saw that blood-colored hair.

"Rias-sama! I didn't feel you here, my apologies!" - He bowed with his whole body.

"Do not worry." - She dismissed his apology. - "Could we begin the process?" - She asked with a smile on her face.

"Of course!" - He nodded. - "Please, this way." - He pointed with his left hand at the side of the machine.

Sairaorg stood there with the briefcase in his right hand. He wanted to ask something to the scientist but he decided to wait until Rias was done with this.

The scientist walked closer to the machine. The apparatus was a huge metallic box of more than three meters in height and many different components all around it. It was black in color with silver-colored pieces of metal.

He then pointed at a small gate at the side of them. It was circular in shape and looked quite plain.

"Please, Rias-sama create a ball of Demonic Power and insert it here." - He said and pointed at the circular gate.

"Hn!" - She nodded her head and then a reddish-black ball filled with her signature trait appeared on top of her hand.

She then walked closer to the machine and inserted it in the gate the scientist pointed at. Soon, just like in a vacuum, it was sucked inside the machine.

Many different noises were heard from the machine; cutting, folding, breaking, melting and some were not capable of being described with words alone.

Sairaorg just walked at her side and stood next to her. His briefcase was against his left leg and his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

He decided to patiently wait with his cousin. He was also curious about the result of her Pieces.

* * *

.

After no more than 5 minutes. The machine stopped making noises and just expelled a bit of grey smoke from its top.

Rias was happy when she saw this. She finally could get her Pieces and enter the Tournament!

She was also happy about being free from the questions of the scientist. They were a bit annoying and tedious, but she understood what they were for.

However, the name for her team baffled her for some time. She was unsure about how to name it.

But then, as always, she decided to name it after her clan and of course, after herself. She decided to go with; 'Team Rias Gremory'.

Sairaorg laughed at her naming sense, he never quite understood why name everything after oneself. But he kept silent about that and said that he named his team; 'Imperial Purpure'.

While pouting, due to his comment, Rias received the same black briefcase as Sairaorg.

"Congratulations Rias-sama! You received a Mutated Bishop!" - The scientist smiled.

"This is amazing, so many Mutation Pieces in so little time!" - The old man with white hair and a lab coat said with clear excitement.

Sairaorg then decided to ask his question.

"By the way, what's with the emotion for the Mutated Pieces? Are they that rare?" - His question shocked the old-man.

"Of course!" - He said seriously. - "Until now just very few teams have received them! And the leaders of them are ridiculous! Gods of the highest order, the current Hakuryuuko, and a rather special case."

"The amount of wielders with you two doesn't exceed ten, barely reaching seven! A single Mutated Piece is already ridiculous!" - His words piqued the interest of Sairaorg.

"So, are there teams that have more than one?" - His words shocked everyone present, of course, only the young ones.

"Yes! There have been those occurrences." - The scientist replied.

"Who were they?" - Rias asked while the rest of her Peerage listened intently. Even the men accompanying them were also paying attention.

"Until now the ones with two Pieces are Shiva-sama, Indra-sama and Typhon-sama. Really ridiculous!"

Those words didn't shock the Devils, but the Humans were a completely different story.

(Indra?! Shiva?! Typhon?! The King of Gods, The God of Destruction and The King of Monsters?!) - Reiji had cold sweat all over his back. Of course he knew about those two!

(The Strongest Gods of the Hindu Faction and the Monster who brought Olympus to its knees!) - Ryutaro was amazed at those words. He turned his head around and looked at his brother, who had the same look as him.

Little Hijama was astonished. He couldn't even think properly when those names were mentioned.

The same was with Ken. However, an obvious drop of sweat was visible in his cheek falling to the ground.

"Ha! So three of the Top Ten, huh? No wonder." - Sairaorg smiled fiercely, he liked the sound of that.

"Yes! But they were still not the best." - The Devils and Humans just received another surprise. They stared at him urging him to spill the beans.

The scientist understood the unasked question. He then decided to tell them about that 'irregular'.

"Three Strong Pieces were on the same set! The Queen and the Two Rooks!" - The man said.

"The owner of the set is a Young Dragon around twenty-years-old! The shock all of us received was huge! And he actually came to this same installation to get his Pieces!" - The scientist told them.

The rest inhaled a cold breath of air, cold sweat flowed down their backs. Even Sairaorg was without words. Rias had a pale face and just swallowed the spit in her mouth.

"Yes, all of us had the same expressions." - The scientist felt empathy for the young ones.

"Who was he?" - Rias managed to ask.

"He named himself Ryuu." - The scientist closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"A young man that had extremely dark brown hair that was way closer to black and a pair of blood-red eyes. Quite the frightening guy in all aspects." - The scientist felt a chill crawl down his spine when he remembered that man.

Everyone was silent, that was until Sairaorg decided to ask.

"What's his team called?" - He decided to keep an eye out for this ' _Young_ _Dragon_ '.

"Team ' _Against_ _the_ _Gods_ '. Arrogant, but in my eyes, he had the power to back it up." - The scientist replied.

Everyone furrowed their brows at the name. He was clearly angering the Divinities with that name!

"Haaa..." - Sairaorg sighed and looked at everyone.

"Well everyone, it has been a pleasure seeing you again. But I need to train!" - His voice had some unknown strength. - "It seems that this Tournament is going to be quite difficult!"

He lifted the briefcase, swung it across his back, and began walking towards the stairs.

Everyone stared at him as he waved back at them without looking back.

Rias then decided to do the same as Sairaorg. That guy they just talked about gave her a bad feeling. As if he was someone that will change everything...

"Well everyone, we need to leave!" - She said as she cleared her mind from all of those thoughts.

She then created the magic circle to leave this place, the same as the one they used to come.

All were silently trying to digest the information, so they mechanically walked towards the circle.

Rias could understand them, a powerful enemy was inside the Tournament and he gave all of them an impending sense of Doom.

She just couldn't understand why she felt uneasy at the mention of the Dragon. Was it because of her own missing Dragon?

(...Issei...) - She thought as she looked at the lab's ceiling.

After some seconds the magic circle flashed with intense light and they all left the top floor of the building. Deciding to go back to Issei's Home.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Location Unknown—-**

* * *

 **.**

Right now, said enemy was opening his eyes after quite some time.

Issei stared at the unknown ceiling, a very dark blue with some drawings of stars and just the night sky in general. Many different constellations were clearly drawn, and the moon was also present.

As his vision came back, he could finally properly focus on the ceiling.

"...What... What happened?" - He muttered as he tried to move his body. However, it was a fruitless effort as he couldn't move a muscle.

He turned his head around, since it was the only thing he could properly move, and looked at the room he was in.

"Oh, where am I now?" - He sighed as if giving up. He didn't know where he was and his memory was a little fuzzy.

The room he was in was something he has never been inside before.

It was, at least, twice the size of his own room back home.

It had gold paint on all the walls of the room, with many extremely detailed drawings on them. All of those drawings seemed to be describing a story. And the details, as well as the elegance they had, couldn't be possibly drawn by any Human.

On his left side stood a small desk right against the wall. Many different books were on top of it, neatly ordered so to not cause a mess.

Above, stood a painting. A beautiful painting of what he would say to be a lotus. On top of it, a man with blue skin was sitting on it. His face showed gentleness as well as pride.

On one side of the desk, a window with a curved shape could be seen. It was covered by a curtain made out of silk and had not a single dark spot on its white color.

Looking to his right side, there was a wooden nightstand with engravings on its surface.

Further right was a wall covered by a huge, modern-looking, wooden bookcase that held many different books and accessories, all different in shape and size. The entire wall was covered by this bookcase from top to bottom.

Looking at his own bed, he was surprised. It was bigger than his own Cal-King sized bed by quite something!

He was covered with a blood-red blanket with some sewed engravings in a gold string. Above it was another blanket, this one mainly gold in color with a hint of black. It covered from below his waist down to his toes.

As a cushion for his head. He had a huge, expensive-looking pillow, whose length reached from one side of the bed to the other. It was red as its main color and its edges were black.

Issei looked at the blue ceiling and began recalling memories.

(Ok... first, we fought Ishtar and she almost kills us. Good, good.) - Sarcasm in his voice. - (Next, we escaped that golden city and reached safety. Excellent.)

Until now he didn't feel that something was off.

(After that... I don't remember.) - There! He found the problem.

As he was thinking he heard the yawn on his Partner inside his head.

[Yaaawwwnnn!] - It was loud and managed to wake him up in his entirety.

He then saw a small green glow on the reverse of his left palm. He smiled at this, glad his Partner was awake.

(Ddraig! What happened Partner?! Where are we?! Where are the Fuuki and Ericia!?) - He was anxious.

[Huh? Oh, Partner you're finally awake! Took your time.] - He dismissed his questions and just said that.

(Ddraig where are we? The girls?) - He was worried about them.

[Don't worry Partner. They are safe and you are as well.] - The calm in his voice made Issei sigh in relief.

(Haaa... That's good to know.) - He believed in his Partner. If he said they were safe and sound, then he could relax.

[For now forget about that. I need to tell you something.] - Seriousness came back to the voice of the Dragon.

(What is it Ddraig?) - He asked, curious about what he was going to say.

[First, I need you to understand that I didn't tell you this because you already had too many things in your head. The Game, the girls, your past.] - He said with a hint of an apology in his voice.

(Ddraig. What is it.) - His voice was serious as well.

[Remember when you fought the Goddess? Ishtar.] - He asked.

(Of course, a terrible opponent.) - His eyes had a bit of cautioness in them.

[In the end you decided to use your own Lifespan as a bargaining chip. Because of that your life decreased.] - Ddraig sounded tired.

Issei just kept his silence. He did remember doing that, but he didn't regret it! After all, it was to save both Fuuki and Ericia, as well as himself.

[The consumption of your Lifespan, was nothing much. Maybe 30 years at most. The problem comes from before.] - Ddraig told his Partner.

*Gulp!* - Issei unknowingly swallowed the saliva in his mouth. This doesn't sound good.

[During the 'Suicide Attempt'. Do you remember what we did to get rid of those Pieces?] - He asked.

(Yes. You said that you would disconnect the part of my own Life-force off of the Pieces, and connect it to my... own... Aura...) - Issei widened his eyes, now he understood where this was going!

[Yes. It seems you figured it out.] - Ddraig said with a hint of pity in his voice.

[During the process, inevitably some of your Lifespan was... reduced. I did my best, but something as complicated as that was too much even for me. It's a miracle that you're alive!] - Ddraig told him.

(So the reason you slept all of that time and why I felt like something was off, was because—) - He was stopped in the middle of his talking.

[Half-correct, Partner.] - Ddraig agreed with him.

[It indeed has to do with this. But the other part is that. One, the change in your soul due to completely awakening your Aura was a bit too much for the Boosted Gear. And two, is the fact that you're still new with using your Aura.] - He explained.

[So your body was getting accustomed to your own power, and that was why you felt like something was off. But since it wasn't serious you didn't feel it was much.] - Ddraig continued his explanation.

(Then... How much... How much of it is left?) - He managed to think.

[Us Dragons live even more than Devils, but during the process of extraction many things happened.] - He said to his Partner.

(What things?) - Issei decided to face this head on! He won't let something like this to stop him from his path!

[The Pieces were far too malicious! Even when I successfully removed the link between them and your Life-Force those bastards still took quite the amount with them!] - Ddraig sounded furious. Issei could hear his fangs grinding against each other.

(How long do I have left?) - He felt as he was asking a doctor about a terrible illness.

[Worry not, Partner. You still have quite the amount left, but it's much less than before.] - Ddraig tried to calm his Partner down.

"Ddraig. Stop beating around the bush! How much did they take!?" - He was so annoyed that he screamed.

[Haaa... Seven Thousand Years.] - He said while giving up.

Issei just widened his eyes at the amount. He was speechless.

[Around 50% of your Lifespan was reduced because of those Pieces.] - Ddraig was sad at that.

Those words seemed to be a weight that pushed his body even further into the bed.

Issei took his time trying to analize the words he just said. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew that his Partner wouldn't lie to him. Much less about something this serious.

(50%?! A whole 50% gone just like that?! Even when they are gone, they still wish to drag me to my death!) - His thoughts were filled with rage and venom.

(Ddraig why didn't you say it before?) - He wanted an explanation.

The green glow in his palm was shinning even brighter than before. He knew that Ddraig must have had his reasons, but still.

[Partner, as I said. You already had too much burdened on your back. Add to that, that the trauma you have is just barely healing. How could I add something more to your plate? You already had too many things to do! So I decided to wait until most of those problems were solved.] - Ddraig explained himself.

Issei was silent, thinking about his words. He knew that he was right, the aftermath left in his mind after the mess he experienced was in no way small! Even until today, the trauma was still clearly inside his head.

Although Fuuki and Ericia were helping him and he was opening more to them, it will take its time.

(Haaaa... I understand Ddraig. I don't blame you at all. Rather I'm grateful that you think about my well being.) - He smiled as he said that.

[Partner... It's not like there's no way out.] - Ddraig said with clear emotion in his voice.

[Although us Dragons stand at the summit of all races. There are still things that can help us grow and improve!] - He told him.

(Hn? Like what, Ddraig?) - He was curious about it.

[Senjutsu can help us. But it needs to be a really special and talented user. And even with one, no normal means of treatment can help us.] - Ddraig explained.

[One that could help would be the Senjutsu Art, that both; the Black and White Nekoshōu talked about.] - Ddraig was interrupted after that.

Issei's eyes gained a sharp light. Even his voice inside his head turned a bit chilly.

(I won't have sex with Fuuki just because of some benefit or profit I could gain! Even if it means my own Lifespan, I refuse to use her like that!) - Conviction and pride was in his words.

[I know. Just wanted to tell you.] - Ddraig smiled inside the Boosted Gear. He was proud of the words his Partner said.

[Another could be 'Heaven Defying Treasures' that even Gods would fight for!] - This took Issei by surprise.

(Treasures?) - He asked back. - [Yes Partner. They are really rare, but they do exist.]

[In the World. There exist 'Miracle Medicines' that are capable of helping and improving the body, mind, spirit, and even increase the Lifespan of living beings!] - Ddraig said with emotion.

[Must, if not all of them, are for normal humans. But some rare ones are for other species, and even rarer ones are for Gods!] - He continued talking.

[Alchemy is a really popular field of magic. They specialize in transforming the treasures this world has to offer, and turn them into miracle medicines that could help everybody!] - Ddraig was like a walking encyclopedia.

[However, the effects are too weak. But for normal Humans they are excellent. Due to the fact that you were a Devil that kept increasing your strength at quite the monstrous pace, I didn't tell you about it.]

[But, across the countless years I have been alive, even in this state. I gained respect for the profession of an Alchemist, and learned a bit more about it.]

Issei was silently looking at his hand, any new knowledge for him is always welcome!

[There are ridiculous Medicines that all Pantheons have to offer. But, only the strongest and rarest are capable of affecting Dragons. Much less one that's capable of recovering the Lifespan of one!] - Issei silently lamented at this.

[But they do exist! Few in number, but they are capable of helping a Dragon by a lot! If you're capable of finding one, then, it won't only help you regain your Lifespan it would benefit you even more!] - Ddraig told his Partner.

(So I only need to hunt one in the half of my Lifespan I have remaining.) - He said.

[Indeed, Partner. The opportunity will definitely come, after all, no such treasures have been born in quite some time. So sooner or later they will appear.] - Ddraig told his Partner with a bit of hapiness in his voice.

"Then I don't have to worry!" - He mouthed and relaxed on the comfortable bed.

[HaHaHa! As always, you manage to impress me Partner.] - Ddraig laughed as his friend smiled.

"HaHaHa. What can I say Ddraig, I like to impress." - He smiled in a proud way. Managing to make Ddraig laugh.

[Huh? It seems someone is coming to check on you Partner. I'll leave you alone.] - He said.

(Wait! You never told me where we are!) - His voice didn't reach Ddraig.

"Damn Ddraig cut me off!" - He said with a bit on anger.

* * *

.

Soon after, the door in front of him was opened. The huge door that seemed to be made out of stone was effortlessly pushed by a woman.

"Oh! You're finally awake! Such great news!" - She smiled while moving her arms in front of her body. The gentleness she emitted was the same as a mother.

Issei just stared at her with curiosity.

She was a woman short in height with beautiful lilac-colored hair. It reached the middle of her back and seemed to shine with a brilliant light, the same as stars.

Her face was delicate, and no signs of old age were seen. At most, she seemed to be in her early twenties. Her skin was as delicate as the petal of a flower and was as smooth as jade.

Her eyes were pink and had worry and happiness inside of them. The beauty and allure of those eyes were second only to the Goddess he met before.

She wore two pieces of clothing. Both in an extremely royal blue in color. They had golden engravings on the surface of them and created a sense of mystery and tranquility.

On her head was a veil, but it was uncovered and one could see her face perfectly. It was also blue in color but the engravings it had gave the feeling of Royalty as if she was a Queen.

She had some accessories. Two bracelets on her wrists and ankles, as well as a long golden necklace around neck.

(She's really beautiful.) - He looked into her eyes and smirked in a soft fashion, something rare in him.

Those eyes were the same that his own mother had when he was young and he fell ill. The worry and heartfelt relief the moment he was healthy again, those were things that he couldn't forget.

"I'm so happy that you're finally awake! Your comrades have been worried sick about you." - She moved her head a little and smiled once again at him.

"Thanks for the concern, but where am I? And who are you?" - He managed to ask, trying not to sound rude.

"Oh! Where are my manners?" - She was surprised by her own actions.

While bowing slightly and lifting the hems of her wobbly pants. She closed both of her eyes and said.

"My name is Parvati. And you're in Mount Kailash!" - Her smile was blinding.

This shocked Issei to no bounds.

(I'm in India! Fuck!) - He cursed his own damn luck.

"You see, my husband found you at the edge of this Mountain, and seeing you were wounded he brought you here!" - Her smile never left her face for even a second.

"...I see..." - Issei managed to say.

"Don't worry Sekiryuutei! You're safe here!" - She said to him with a gentle look with her eyes.

Those words caught Issei by surprise. But he didn't let it show.

"I think you mistook me with someone else. I'm just a normal Dragon that got wounded after a fight and was lucky enough to find this place." - His caution was second nature. Who could blame him after all he has lived?

Seeing him like that, Parvati smiled with a bit of sadness. She didn't understand why he would lie like that. And the moment he saw those eyes filled with wariness and doubt she was even sadder.

"Please don't lie Sekiryuutei. My husband told me about your identity. Saying that the moment you wake up, you should go talk to him." - Her smile gained her brightness again.

"Shiva? He wants to talk to me?" - He was surprised, but Parvati was even more.

"You are different from what I heard." - She was curious, a finger was on her cheek and her eyes were on him.

"But even with all of that, I can tell you're kind and good." - She tilted her head as she smiled. Both of her hands were in front of her sizeable chest.

"And how are you so sure?" - He asked as he was trying to stand up from the bed. His eyes always on her.

"Although those eyes of yours are different. Although they are sharp and cold. I, as the Goddess of Love, Marriage, Beauty, and Children, can see that your true self is still the same, you just hide it better." - She smiled at her own words.

(You're not the Goddess of only that...) - He thought but kept the thought to himself.

Finally he managed to stand up properly. He felt slightly dizzy, but he stood properly.

Then he looked at the Goddess, a bit of worry was in her eyes. But he could notice that her worry was genuine, not pity or something like that.

(Seems like she's different.) - He thought and began walking close to her.

"Then lets go. I better not let Shiva wait." - He knew that the strength of the God of Destruction was absurd, so he rather not piss him off.

Parvati saw that he was forcing himself and said. - "No. I won't let you go outside this room with your body like that! That husband of mine won't come, if he does, then see if I don't beat him up! Hmph!"

Issei was shocked by her words and was about to say something.

"You young man will stay here and rest! That's an order from me!" - She put both of her hand on her hips and walked closer to him. A glare similar to a mothers was in her eyes.

"But—" - He was going to say something.

"No buts! Now sit back down on the bed and rest!" - He words left no room fro discussion.

Issei saw a blue aura surround her and just swallowed his spit. - "...Yes..." - He felt like a child that was just grounded.

His response caused Parvati to smile.

"Excellent! I'll let your companions know that you have awakened." - She turned around and started to walk towards the door.

As the door closed. Issei just stared at it for some time.

"I feel pity for her Children and Husband. She has such a tough personality, its impossible to say no to her..." - He sat back down on the bed and began relaxing.

* * *

.

After some minutes the sound of hurried footsteps was heard from the other side of the door.

* _Slam!_ * - The door was slammed open, slightly startling Issei.

He then heard two voices that he dearly missed. - ""Issei!""

He looked at the door, only to find two beautiful women that were looking at him with relief, worry, and anger.

"Hello, seems like—" - His speech was stopped as the two women threw themselves on top of him.

""Do you know how scared we were?!"" - They were obviously furious.

Both of their hands were grabbing his shirt and were shaking him from one side to the other.

"Issei! Do you know what I felt the moment you fainted out of nowhere?!" - Fuuki was looking into his eyes, worry clearly seen in hers. They were even a bit red maybe due to crying.

"Ise! Do you know how angry I am at you?!" - Ericia's voice was sharp and actually managed to scare the Dragon. Her eyes had some bags, probably because she hasn't slept well.

(What did I do?!) - He thought as he was still being shaken from one side to the other.

""You know what you did!"" - His thoughts were read quite quickly.

Ericia looked at him with her sharp eyes, but it was obvious that the relief she felt was huge. The moment he saw him laying on the bed, her heart was full of peace and joy.

Fuuki was the same, she actually felt as if her heart was released from the grip of something. The smile she made was quickly hidden due to her anger at him.

Issei could see the worry inside their eyes. The anger they felt towards him was completely understandable. So he smiled and decided to hug them. His heart full of a warm feeling.

The moment they felt his arms surround them, both had a big blush on their cheeks. Half of it from happiness and the other due to embarrassment.

"Sorry. I won't do something like that again." - He apologized with sincerity. His voice was completely gentle and soothing.

This voice caused the females to widen their eyes, never have they heard him like that. It was a first!

He just kept hugging them, happy about having them in his life.

(I'm sure lucky...) - He thought.

The women never broke his contact off. Although they felt happy and embarrassed, they just decided to keep their bodies inside his hug. The warm he emitted caused them to relax.

Soon he heard some sobs from Fuuki and felt Ericia tremble in his embrace.

"Please... don't do that again." - Fuuki begged. She was worried sick for him.

"Ise. Don't ever! Do that again!" - Ericia's voice was sharp and her words were definitely an order. But the hidden worry and the trembling she had was quite obvious to notice.

"Hn. I'll never do it again." - He calmed them down.

He soon felt how both of their arms circled his back and squeezed.

Feeling this, he widened his eyes in shock.

(So they were this worried... I feel so bad, this is my fault...) - He thought.

Ericia and Fuuki were his closest friends, and after talking to them about his past he felt they were even closer than that. But was unsure.

In a little corner of his mind he thought that it was wrong, that something was off. Due to his traumas with women, he couldn't help but think like that.

But seeing them like that, so afraid that something happened to him, that something went terribly wrong. He felt terrible but also happy.

Terrible because he did this, and happy because they felt so much for him.

Seeing the tears in Fuuki's eyes and the trembling in Ericia's body removed all of the doubts he had.

"...It seems you're more than friends to me..." - He muttered in a very low voice and accepted his emotions.

(Haaa... Now what should I do?) - His thoughts were like that, but the smile in his face signified something else.

He was happy, he was glad that he had such amazing women at his side. He hugged them with even greater strength just enough for them not to be hurt.

Then he inhaled a big breath of air. Discreetly smelling the two women on his arms.

(Fuuki smells like Camellias, and Ericia like Roses. Never thought they would be like that.) - He thought as he felt a sense of exhaustion covering his body.

Then he fell down to his bed and began drifting to the land of Morpheus. Both women on his arms.

"ZzzZzzZz" - He was dead tired.

The two women were red due to him smelling them, they were as red as a tomato. But their hearts were beating erratically inside their chests the moment they heard those almost unnoticeable words from him.

The smiles on their faces were obvious, and the misty eyes they had were enough to charm any man.

Their smiles were indescribable, just one of them could make men go crazy and cause a War. But thankfully, they weren't seen due to their faces being pressed on Issei's chest.

As they sensed him falling asleep still with his arms around them, they were happy, at least, they knew that they were in his heart. And by the looks of his tranquil sleeping face, they were quite deep inside it.

(~Ise~ Thank you, for everything~) - Fuuki thought as she accommodated herself on his chest. Soon falling asleep with a huge smile on her face.

(...Issei... I don't know what to say. You're the only one capable of making me feel like this.) - Ericia looked at Issei's face. Her cold façade was gone, instead, a beautiful smirk and gentle eyes were on her face.

(Maybe I should sleep like this too.) - She thought as she felt the warm of Ise's body.

Discreetly she looked at Fukki and then at Ise. She then inhaled a breath of air.

The smell he had was similar to the ashes of a fireplace, quite odd since he didn't like to use cologne.

Her face was red once again due to her daringness.

(What did I do?!) - She was shocked. She tried to move away but the arms of Issei never left.

(Damn!) - She was frustrated. After fighting for a bit more and receive nothing in exchange, she gave up.

(Oh well, better than nothing.) - She decided to stay and soon after she fell asleep.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / A Day Later, Mount Kailash / Issei's Room—-**

* * *

 **.**

After calmly sleeping like that for the entire day, Issei began opening his eyes.

(Where? Oh right, India.) - He was about to ask the same question again but stopped his thoughts.

With his eyes still closed he heard something.

"~HuHuHuHu~" - A giggle echoed all over the room.

"Wow, so daring! Quite the Dragon~" - This time he opened his eyes, and what he saw left him speechless.

Parvati was peaking from the gap of the door. A smile on her eyes and a hand covering her mouth. She was clearly enjoying the scene.

He then looked at himself and was shocked. Two women were sleeping on top of him!

Fuuki was on his left, hugging his arm in between the valley of her breasts. Her black dress was slowly falling off of her body, making him see the impresive assets she had.

The soft and familiar sense of skin against him arm caused him to blush slightly.

Fuuki had a content smirk on her face. Drool fell from the corner of her mouth and onto his arm. She just hugged his entire arm with all of her body, his hand quite close to a dangerous region of her body.

She seemed to be mumbling something he couldn't quite undertand. But the smile and the constant... purring? Made him understand that she was happy about this.

On the other hand, quite literally, was Ericia. Her face was tranquil and calm as if she was having a great dream. However, Issei saw how she was clinging to him.

Her right leg was on top and across both of his legs, squizzing her entire body against his side.

His arm was also in between her breasts, but her right arm was above his chest as if hugging him, and it was almost reaching his left shoulder.

Her body was covered by her black bodysuit that left very little to the imagination. And everytime he moved, she seemed to stick even closer.

Her left cheek was on his bicep and close to his chest. So he could perfectly feel her breathing, causing his blush to increase.

(How?! How did this happen?!) - He was very confused, he didn't understand how they ended like this.

Then he heard a yawn inside his head, a quite familiar yawn.

[Yawwwn. Morning Partner. So what happened after—] - Ddraig stopped himself as he could see through the eyes of his Partner the current situation.

[You work rather fast, heh. Partner.] - The smirk on his face was obvious.

(I didn't do a thing!) - He battled for his innocence.

[You don't need to be shy. I undertand that what happened Yesterday is only for you to know. I'm actually glad that this part of you didn't leave Partner! Glad you only keep it for your women and in private.] - Ddraig kept spitting bullshit.

"I didn't do a thing!" - He was so embarrassed that he said it out loud. Causing the woman at the door to giggle even more.

His voice also awoke the women at his sides.

Fuuki squinted her eyes and pressed her body even closer to his, ignoring everything.

"Five moree minutess, ~Issseii~" - She managed to mumble in her dream.

Seeing her like that caused him to smile. She was just too cute.

Turning his head around he made eye contact with a very shocked Ericia. Red made contact with pitch black and soon both of their faces turned red.

* _Cough! Cough!*_

Issei faked a cough, calmed his blush, and looked into her eyes. He adjusted his state of mind rather fast.

Then he shamelessly said with a sweet and soft voice.

"Good Morning, sleeping beauty." - He smirked in a teasing fashion, he even closed his eyes to increase his own appeal.

She, on the other hand, just blushed even more than before. She couldn't say anything, so she broke free from her own grasp and left the bed, almost falling to the ground during the process.

(Ohh! An embarrassed Ericia! That's an extremely rare sight!) - He was happy about his deed.

Ericia just turned her head around and saw his smirk. She glared at him with slight fury, causing him to sweat.

Then her sharp voice was heard. - "Are you just going to stay like that forever?!" - Her voice caused him to turn his head around, refusing to make eye contact.

(Damn, she's back to normal.) - He mentally cursed.

Then he looked at the one in his left arm and said.

"No, but she just won't let go." - He pointed at Fuuki who was still asleep.

Ericia saw her and narrowed her eyes. The smile of the Fox's face caused her to feel anger.

Walking around the bed, she reached her side. Then she grabbed Fuuki and yanked her from him. Her eyes, for a moment, held a bit of jealousy.

Feeling that her pillow was gone, Fuuki opened her eyes. Then she looked at the bed and at her captor.

Undertanding what happened she said. - "~Put me baaackk!~" - She was pouting and moving her arms like crazy.

"No!" - But Ericia's will was firm.

"~You just say that because you want to do the samee~ But you don't have the courage to do it!~" - Her words caused a tick on Ericia's eyebrow.

Then she grabbed her entire head with her hand and began squizzing. Afterwards, with a chilling smile, she asked.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you right now. How do you want to die?" - Her smile was frightening.

Fuuki was scared, in response she looked at Issei and screamed.

"~Issseei~! Help! Help! This woman is trying to—" - She was interrupted.

"Trying to what?" - She squizzed her head even harder than before.

"Au-au-au-auuch!" - She kept yelling. Asking for Ise's help.

He just said. - "Fuuki sorry, but I can't do a thing." - These words caused her to pale.

She quickly screamed at him. - "Traitor~! Meanie~! Judas~! Erectile Dysfunction~!"

"Not the last one!" - He retorted with anger.

"HaHaHaHaHaHa!" - Parvati finally laughed. She was containing it for quite some time but couldn't handle it anymore.

Hearing her laugh, everyone froze. Soon Ericia let Fuuki go, and Issei stood up from the bed.

As fast as lighting the former light atmosphere was replaced with weariness, at least, from the two women. They stood side by side, prepared for anything. Although they have been here for three days, they didn't trust anyone here.

"Parvati, to what I owe the pleasure?" - Issei asked while positioning himself in between the two beauties.

Seeing them like that, she understood that whatever happened to them wasn't good. So cautious, so weary, so distrustful. For kids this age, that wasn't good.

"I only came to check if you were awake." - She smiled as usual.

Issei just sighed, he was convinced by her words.

"I see. Then I must thank you for everything until now." - He bowed and said with a gentle voice.

Seeing him like that the women at his sides decided to also act more calm.

"~HuHuHu~" - Parvati giggled, seems like her eyes weren't deceiving her. He was quite the gentleman, but it seems like only to the ones he is close with.

"Now-Now. Since you're ready, how about some breakfast? My husband still wants to talk to you, but he will need to go through me first. He won't dare to~" - Her smile at the end caused him to feel a chill.

"Y-Yes..." - He replied.

"Great! Then please come down when you're ready." - Then she closed the door.

After she left the women looked at Issei. Caution in their eyes.

"Ise. What should we do?" - Ericia asked with her normal voice, her face changed back to her cold one.

"For now, let's play their game. They don't seem to be planning something and if they did, then we would already be done for." - He replied as he looked into her eyes.

"I think so as well. They seem to be normal." - Fuuki said with narrowed eyes. Her bipolarity present.

"Well then lets go." - He said as he started to walk towards the door.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Mount Kailash / A Couple of Hours Later—-**

* * *

 **.**

After breakfast with a bit too cheerful Parvati. Everyone on Ise's team finally calmed down.

She seemed to be quite normal, and by their estimations, she wasn't planning anything.

Right now Issei was walking with Fuuki and Ericia by his sides. Their destination; the main garden where Parvati told them Shiva was at.

As they continued to walk, they reached a huge double wooden door that covered the entire wall in front of them.

* _Screech!_ *

As if it was automatic, the moment they approached close to it the door opened by itself.

The scenery changed and the wooden floors and walls, that were adorned with paintings, bookcases, and other random stuff were gone.

Instead, the garden of Mount Kailash was present. It was beautiful to say the least. Huge trees, lakes and animals were everywhere. Not a piece of furniture could be seen, just plain nature.

Many flowers of different colors, shapes and forms were all over the place.

In the middle of all of the garden, a huge lake was seen. With crystalline water that was a soft light-blue and was as transparent as glass.

At one side of the lake, a bodhi tree could be seen. It was quite big and made a beautiful shadow over the lake. Giving the entire garden a sense of peace and calm.

Below it was a young boy with green and black hair. His height was that of a middle schooler and he was rather handsome.

His eyes were closed, and a fishing rod was impaled on the ground in front of his legs. He was silent and just relaxing, with both hands behind his head, uncaring about the world around him.

But for Issei and the rest, it was completely different. They could clearly feel his monstrous power.

It was like an abyss that was about to destroy everything in sight. But at times it was like a peaceful current of air caressing your skin. Nevertheless, they couldn't feel the end of it. He was on a league of his own.

(How ridiculous. This amount of power, even if he's just relaxing like that is four maybe five times that of Ishtar when she fought against us seriously!) - He swallowed some spit.

Fuuki was even more sensible, so she decreased the distance she had with Issei and hugged his arm.

Ericia was cautious. Both of her gauntlets and greaves were on her arms and legs. Her posture was ready for battle at any second. But the sweat on her forehead was obvious, she knew that this enemy was by far the strongest they have faced.

[Partner. I don't need to tell you, but be careful. He's by far stronger than the Goddess you've faced. Even when I was on my prime I don't think I could have defeated him.] - Ddraig gave his advice.

(I know Ddraig. Don't worry, I don't think he wants to fight.) - He replied.

Soon he started to walk towards him. His emotionless face never changed, his mark was proudly displaying itself on his forehead, and his Darkness was beside him ready for anything.

Shiva sensed this and was amused. - (...Interesting...) - But never moved from his relaxing position.

As they reached under the bodhi tree, Issei and his team were just a few steps away from him.

"Shiva. What do you want to talk about?" - His voice was sharp and cold, ready for anything.

Opening his left eye, he saw the current Sekiryuutei and two other interesting creatures.

Issei was shocked! He felt as if Shiva's eyes saw through him and discovered all of his best kept secrets and even could see through his soul! On the outside he still looked the same, but inside he was sweating rivers.

"Interesting Young Sekiryuutei. No... Young Dragon." - Issei wasn't surprised by this, he knew that Shiva could sense his whole existence and that he was different from the past.

"So you know." - He said with an uncaring attitude.

Shiva saw this and was more amused, it seemed that this Drake was very different compared to the past.

"Of course, I'm older than many other Gods. And that Aura you have is different from the rest." - He said with a small smirk on his face.

(He knows about a Dragon's true Aura!) - Issei was surprised, nothing was hidden from Shiva's eyes.

Seeing the minute change in his expression made Shiva smirk even more.

"The eleventh Dragon in History to have awakened his Aura. Red Dragon Emperor, you must be extremely happy." - He said.

Then a green glow was seen from the reverse of his palm. And a voice was heard from withing it.

[Indeed, God of Destruction. Before, he was my best possessor. Now he's the best in all of History!] - He was happy at this.

"Yes, even I can agree with that. This Aura he has, is definitely something else..." - Shiva was curiously looking at his Darkness, trying to figure it out.

[Even I am not sure about what his Aura does God. So don't try meaningless things.] - Ddraig said to the God.

Shiva only stared at it a bit longer, but then shrugged his shoulders.

"It's confusing. Ever changing, ever helpful. It's as if it changes to suit his needs." - He mouthed.

"But that's not why you're here." - Shiva said and looked into his eyes.

"Young Dragon, what do you want to do?" - His eyes held some mysterious power, Issei knew that he wouldn't be able to lie.

"About what?" - He asked back.

"I saw what you did to gain the power you have, Dragon. I saw that mysterious ritual." - This finally shocked Issei.

His face changed in expression drastically, his eyes sharpened like a knife, his uncaring façade gone.

The women at his sides looked curiously at him, but seeing the vicious glare he had made them feel fear. They have never seen that kind of expression on him before.

"Don't say another word! God!" - His voice was full of venom, it even surprised Shiva a bit.

"So it's a touchy subject. Then forgive my rudeness, I didn't think it was like that." - Shiva said that.

Issei calmed himself down. He still wasn't ready to talk about that, not yet.

Looking at the God, he sighed and said. - "I also apologize. Sorry, but that is something I'm still not ready to talk about." - He motioned with his eyes to the pair of women.

Shiva understood the indirect.

"I see... But you still haven't answered my first question." - He asked back.

Issei knew that he wouldn't give up. So he decided to be completely honest with him, not a single lie.

"I... I want to see the world." - This caught the interest of the God once again.

"Hmm?" - But he also hummed in confusion.

"My goal after what I experienced is... to know." - This made Shiva tilt his head breaking his relaxing posture and paying attention to him.

"I wish to travel around the world and know it better. I also want to form a team for the Games and fight. I want to clear the name I had, and also clear Ddraig's." - He said with conviction and pride.

"I want to show them." - He pointed at Ericia and Fuuki. - "How big the World is. I want them to experience many things and feel what it is to live. I want to help people so to not experience what I did."

His words made the women blush. They never thought they were so important to him, this made them feel happy and delighted.

Issei never removed his eyes from the God's. Shiva saw that his will never wavered, this caused him to discreetly feel satisfaction.

"I want for the people I care for to live and experience incredible things. I also want to be at their side and help them. I want them and myself, to live a long beautiful life with lovers and friends." - He said to the God with emotion in his voice.

His voice was confident and his tone filled with desire to accomplish his goals.

Then he discreetly turned his head and looked at Fuuki and Ericia. Inevitably, he released a sigh. - "...I want a family of my own..."

He mumbled the last one in an extremely low voice, but Shiva read his lips. He smirked even more than before, his expectations about him just kept increasing.

Issei stopped those thoughts and calmed himself. He remembered his past life, those days, those great moments he once experienced, the laughs, the joy, and everything else. Everything turned out to be a dream of golden millet—a pipe dream, a beautiful illusion that turned into a nightmare.

He thought about the results of that, the repercussions he experienced. So he made his resolve, the resolve to be different, and be better.

"I won't let my life be ruled by others, just because of convinience. I won't let the hate and pain I felt and experienced control me. I will be better, I will change, and I will become the strongest Heavenly Dragon this World has to offer." - His Darkness moved in accordance to his emotions.

Shiva mentally smiled. He knew that his eyes weren't wrong. Even his wife agreed to his decision after meeting him.

The women were happy. They knew that their hearts were with the correct man, never have they doubted. Now they knew what he wanted, but that comment from the God kept them thinking.

(What Ritual?) - Ericia thought as she looked at Issei. She felt that this was the mystery they have been anxious to figure out.

(Ritual... for him to act like that, it definitely isn't something good.) - Fuuki thought with a hand on her chin.

After saying all of what he wanted to do, silence reigned for some time. During this time, his eyes never left Shiva's. He sensed that the God was reading him, but he didn't understand, why?

"I see..." - Those were his only words, but his tone seemed happy.

"So you wish to protect. How interesting, a Dragon that wants to protect" - Shiva smiled at this.

Everyone else was confused about what was he talking about. But Issei, inside his head, agreed with his opinion.

Standing up, Shiva pointed at Issei and said. - "If that's what you want then I'll have you meet someone."

Putting his hands behind his back, Shiva walked towards the main door of the garden.

All of them understood that he wanted them to follow him so they looked at each other, nodded their heads, and started to follow him.

* * *

.

No one talked for the duration of the trip. Shiva took them inside mount Kailash and just kept walking inside the entire Mansion at the top of the Mountain.

After what it felt like hours, they reached somewhere. A big stone door was in front of them. It covered the whole wall and nothing aside of it was nearby.

Shiva stopped walking and turned around to look at them.

"This is the training room of my territory. Although it's not much, we do frequently use it." - He smiled at them and pushed the door.

The inside was absurd. No end could be seen inside the room, it just extended until the eyes lost focus.

It was a huge plain of rocks and dirt, some weird objects could be seen in random locations of the place, but they didn't know what they were for.

Shiva walked inside and as he closed the door, he began talking to them—more specifically to Issei.

"I'll have you meet someone... special." - He smirked at his own words.

* _Clang!_ _Clang!_ *

The sound of metal colliding against metal was heard inside the training space.

(Hm?) - Issei found this intriguing, that and the aura he could feel all the way here. He thought that this was interesting.

As they walked closer, they finally saw the figure responsible for all of those noises as well as the aura they sensed since some time ago.

(A... woman?) - He thought as he couldn't really distinguish her silhouette because it moved too fast.

The silhouette seemed to be the incarnation of lightning itself. The speed it possessed was second to none!

It was fighting against multiple oponents, all dressed in an armour.

The armor itself was similar to gold, but it gave the apperance of being made out of cloth. However, every time the 'lightning' landed a blow the echo of metal was heard, so it was definitely made out of an alloy.

(Hmmm...) - Issei was interested in the armor, he felt that an armor like that should be extremely useful.

Shiva just stood there looking at the 'lightning' and back at Issei, an indistinguishable smile was on his face.

* _Thud! Slump! Plop!_ *

After some seconds all of the golden figures fell to their knees. Grunts of pain came out of their mouths.

At the same time the 'lightning' finally stopped moving. _She_ had her back pointed at them and some sparks still covered her entire body.

Shiva looked at her and his eyes softened.

"Yae. I want you to meet someone." - His hands were on his back and a smile on his face.

The woman turned her head over her shoulder. Her eyes, which were focused on the battle, softened and a smile spread across her face.

Turning her whole body around she began walking towards them, a smile plastered on her face.

Issei was amazed by the beauty of the woman. - (Wow... Who exactly is she?)

She was an attractive young woman that seemed to be in her late teens, with long blue hair similar to the night sky and a pair of beautiful sparkling eyes with a gaze as soft as water, not containing even the slightest hint of arrogance.

Her face was exquisite and delicate with skin smooth as silk and white as milk. All of her body emitted an air of sensuality but also an air of purity.

Her chest was constricted by her clothing, giving off a ridiculous amount of sex appeal. Her rear was the same, covered by a short skirt that left little to the imagination.

She was more-or-less tall in height. She was five feet five inches—around 171 centimeters, pretty tall for a woman but nowhere near Ericia and Fuuki that were almost as tall as Issei.

She wore a black collar with white frills and with a tinge of blue on it. A black, double-breasted armored thigh-length vest that covered her whole upper body protecting her chest, her sides, and part of her hips and thighs.

She had a red mini skirt that barely reached her thighs along with plates at the sides. She wore black stockings supported by garters, red boots with a metal heel, and black metallic bracelets on her wrists.

(Wait... Did I see wrong?) - Issei thought his eye-sight went bad, he could have swore that he saw a pair of bunny ears above her head.

Looking again... He indeed saw a pair of bunny ears above her head, moving slightly as she walked.

(Huh?) - This took him by surprise.

As she walked closer, Issei just stared at her. The two women at his side were annoyed by the look of awe he gave her.

Ericia hit him with her elbow and Fuuki pinched his arm.

Issei was abruptly awakened from his daydreaming, looking at his sides the two women refused to make eye contact.

""Hmph!"" - Was their only answer.

(What did I do!?) - He was confused.

Ddraig, on the other hand, was doing his very best to not laugh at the sight. He knew that the two women were jealous of the one in front of them. After all, his partner just stared at her without blinking.

"Father!" - Her sweet, melodious voice was heard. It was as beautiful as a song and as soft as it could get.

"Yae. Please, at least spare some of our guards. They are barely standing." - Shiva said while giving her a soft look, completely different from a God of Destruction.

"He-He~ Sorry father, but I needed to train, and both of my brothers are out so I could only ask them." - The woman blushed lightly.

"I want you to meet someone." - Shiva said as he pointed at Issei.

The beauty turned her head around and looked at Issei.

Issei saw curiosity in those eyes, but he also saw a sense of caution. The women named Yae was definitely, contrasting with her appearance, on guard.

(By the looks of her magical reserves alone, she should be quite the enemy. But that speed... that should be a problem. However, somethings feels off about this...) - He kept staring at her.

Soon he saw her eyes once again, this time focusing more on them.

(Her eyes... they have a lot of pain hidden inside of them, don't tell me she's...) - Issei thought as he kept eye contact. He was shocked by this, but he could be wrong.

Meanwhile, the two women looked at her and felt a sense of competition. She was by no means inferior to them in beauty, and their instincts as women flared up the moment Issei saw her with those eyes.

But something caught their attention.

Their eyes never left the pair of bunny ears on top of her head, moving softly.

(Are they... real?) - Ericia thought while looking at them.

(...Hmm...) - Fuuki thought the same.

At the same moment the woman noticed the eyes of the two women. She felt a bit confused as they kept looking at her ears.

"Ah... excuse me, but what's wrong?" - Her voice was soft, her tone a bit worried.

Issei then looked at Shiva, who was motioning with his hand to come closer.

He did as told and the two of them walked a bit far off from them, leaving the women to do what they wanted.

"As you heard, she's my daughter. Her name is Yae Rudra. Her race is rather... special as you can see." - He told him while sitting on top of a rock nearby, matching Issei's height.

"Yes. I guessed that the moment I saw her ears, but what is she? She's not a Yōkai and I have never heard of a Hindu Rabbit." - Issei replied back to him.

Shiva just sighed at that. - "The story is rather long, if you want to know then come to the garden at night. I'll tell you everything."

Issei was curious, why was Shiva doing this? But he still nodded his head.

* * *

.

Back with the two women, the two of them were having a silent staredown with Yae, their eyes never left her figure for even a second.

Yae, on the other hand, was feeling restless. The looks these two gave her were especially weird as if she took something they loved and cherished and were now pissed.

"Eh... I don't know why you're looking at me like that, but I'm sure all of this could be solved easily!" - She smiled a bit at her own words.

Ericia and Fuuki didn't hear her words, they were just silent.

"Eh... excuse—" - She was frozen solid by the actions of the white-haired woman.

* _Grab!_ * - Ericia extended her hand and grabbed her bunny ear.

"Fugya!" - Yae was baffled by the sudden action. She screamed as she felt her own ear being pulled.

"Why did you have to pull Yae's lovely ears?! What do you wish to accomplish by pulling Yae's beautiful rabbit ears?!" - Yae screamed while looking kind of cute.

"Ohh! So they are real." - Was the only response from Ericia. She ignored the pitiful rabbit's question.

"Of course they are! Why did you think Yae's ears were fake?! And don't ignore my question!" - She was confused and a bit angry

"Ohh~ these rabbit ears are actually real?" - Fuuki said as she went for the other ear of Yae.

"Wa-Wait a momen—" - Yae tried to stop her, but it didn't work.

While the two women grabbed her ears, Yae had made an inarticulate scream that made Shiva giggle at the sight of the two woman teasing his daughter.

Issei saw that and facepalmed, he decided to intervene before things escalated even more.

While walking close to them, Issei grabbed the hands of both Fuuki and Ericia.

"Ericia, Fuuki stop this. Why were you doing it in the first place? Please don't mess with her just like that." - Issei ordered the two women, being serious about it.

"Sating my Curiosity." - Was Ericia's response.

"~Curious!~" - The answer from Fukki was even worse.

Issei sighed and looked at the woman who was on the ground and had small tears on her eyes.

He inclined down and stretched his hand at her, wishing to help her stand up.

"Are you okay? They didn't mean wrong, they just act like that with anything that interest them." - His voice was warm and sharp making the Rabbit widen her eyes.

In her eyes, the man in front of her—that helped and stopped the two women's teasing, was quite handsome. He had black hair and red eyes that were kind of sharp but held an extremely comfortable feeling to her.

His small smile made her eyes widen even more and unknowingly made her own heart skip a beat.

All of that made her blush... a lot.

"Th-Thank Y-You..." - She stuttered while grabbing his hand, not making eye contact. Definitely, love at first sight.

Issei just smiled at this. This woman seemed to be quite a good company to be around. However, the two women at his sides were feeling something else.

(Tch! Defending her like that.) - Ericia thought.

(This Rabbit is trying to steal my Issei?! In your dreams!) - Fuuki was feeling threatened.

While patting the dust off of her clothes, Yae looked at the man in front of her.

While giving a gentle smile and spinning her body around in joy, she said.

"Although Father said who I am, let me introduce myself." - She moved a hand on top of her chest and bowed.

"My name is Yae Rudra, daughter of Shiva." - Her voice held pride and her smile was stunning.

The artificial light that shown on her body made Issei widen his eyes just a bit. That change in his expression didn't go unnoticed by Ericia and Fuuki.

Both of them could see any and every change in Issei's expression. Thanks to that, they could guess what he was thinking.

"Hoh." - He muttered slightly impresed by the sight.

His words caused Yae's face to turn a bit red.

"Then I should also introduce my team and myself." - He decided.

While standing straight, pride filled his body. His eyes held a light that was indecipherable.

"My name is Issei, Hyoudou Issei." - These words caused Yae to freeze. Even her ears were standing straight.

He smirked at that response.

"I'm a full Dragon and the wielder of the Longinus, Boosted Gear!" - His words were ridiculous for her.

* _Flash!_ *

A brilliant flash of green light blinded some people momentarily.

After the light was gone, Yae saw the Longinus that was suposed to be with the War Hero, right on his left arm!

"Y-You r-really are h-him?" - She muttered while looking amazed.

"Indeed. Due to certain... accident, I became a full Dragon." - Issei told her half of the whole truth, trying to start right with her.

"B-B-But..." - She mumbled while pointing at him, it was quite funny. Even her ears were standing straight.

"It's the truth Yae." - Shiva said as he appeared out of nowhere.

"It's a very, _very_ , well-kept secret. But the current Sekiryuutei is a full Dragon." - He said to clear her doubts.

"H-How?!" - She knew that the current Sekiryuutei was a human, a pure human that was reincarnated as a Devil. But in front of her was a Dragon, in the whole sense of the word!

She knew her senses couldn't be wrong. But he was so... different.

His attitude, his complexion, his eyes and face, it was like a different person. But both, the Longinus in his arm and her Father, proved to her that he was the current Sekiryuutei.

"If he wants to talk, then let him talk. It's his own secret after all." - Shiva shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't mind, nothing wrong with it." - Issei shrugged his shoulders.

Yae kept her eyes on him, both of her hands were close to her chest and her eyes held a curious gleam that made Issei smirk for a second.

She leaned forward and closed the distance between them, her eyes never left his. But that action caused him to stare at her chest for the briefest of seconds. Further angering the women at his sides.

Issei quickly composed himself and acted as if he did nothing wrong.

"It happened after my battle against the blood-descendant of the Original Beelzebub, inside a pocket dimension made by the user of the 'Dimension Lost'." - He began his explanation. -

"Right when he used his last trump card, an arrow covered with the blood of 'Samael'. I was struck by it, and due to me holding the Boosted Gear the damage it did was ridiculous."

His words caught the attention of the women at his sides, they have never heard the full story, just the end result.

"After that, I was dying. My body became useless and I, sooner or later, would have died inside the Dimensional Gap." - He crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"At my dying breath, Great Red broke through the dimension I was trapped in, and Ophis—that was with me, decided to hop on his back alongside with me." - He moved a single hand to the side.

"My body became useless but Ddraig managed to cage my soul inside the Boosted Gear. Meanwhile, Ophis and Great Red made a body out of their own. The blood and flesh from Great Red, and the power and Aura of Ophis." - He smirked at that.

The rest were quiet, even Shiva put slight attention on this. Even he didn't know the complete story.

"After a couple of days, I woke up from my 'Coma'." - He quoted his last words. - "And thanks to Ddraig, Ophis, and Great Red, I was able to successfully fuse my soul into 'my' body." - He said.

"So I gained the body of a full Dragon and my soul, that had the Boosted Gear, was able to stabilize inside the new body. Thus, I am a full Dragon while possessing a Longinus." - He dismissed his own comment.

Yae had her eyes widened like dinner plates. Even her mouth was so open that one could fit a whole egg inside of it! Never in her life had she expected to meet someone that is so... ridiculous.

"So you—" - She was stopped mid-speech by Ericia.

"He's basically a joke. A slip of fate. It was like someone slept during their work and this happened." - Her words were right in a sense.

Issei gave a small glare to her, who in return gave him a prideful smirk.

(That's what you get.) - She was happy about it.

"Ohh! So it's like that. Indeed its much easier to understand it like that." - Hse cutely nodded her head, her voice was soft and made Issei cringe.

* _Cough!_ _Cough!_ * - He faked a cough and decided to keep explaining.

"And these two." - He pointed at the women. - "Are my friends and teammates."

"Ericia Draculea, last descendant of Dracula himself and a Royal Vampire." - He pointed at the white-haired woman who smirked as she placed a hand on her hip, showing off her astounding body and heart-stopping sex appeal.

"And Benikomichi Fuuki, Strongest Yōkai and last descendant of Tamamo-No-Mae." - Fuuki smiled at his words and blushed a bit. Her beauty was second to no one at that moment.

(...Last descendants...) - Yae looked at both women, her mind in a mess.

(...A miracle...) - She looked at Issei and at the two women once again, a feeling of understanding and happiness grew on her chest.

"That's basically it." - He finished explaining.

Shiva was quiet, and so was Yae.

* * *

.

Issei was exhausted after all of this, even the talk right now was quite long.

"Shiva, is there a Library here?" - He asked while looking at the God.

"Indeed. Are you interested in something?" - Shiva asked back.

"Hn." - He nodded his head. - "There's something I need to search for, the sooner the better."

"Yae can take you there, she knows the way." - Shiva told him as Yae smiled at this.

"Oh. Then I'll trouble you." - He looked at Yae and smirked a bit.

"It's not a problem at all. I often go there after training." - She waved her hand back and forth, hiding her embarrassment.

"Oh? Then, what do you read?" - He asked, interested in this. Ericia didn't like reading as much as him, and Fuuki well... she's a lost cause in that ambit.

"Pretty much everything. You name it, we have it!" - Her smile made Issei release a brief laugh and nod his head in agreement.

"Then... do you have books about Alchemy? About treasures of the Heavens and the Earth?" - He asked cautiously.

"There are indeed!" - Yae clapped her hands in front of her chest and closed her eyes.

"Would you like me to help you find them?" - She asked while placing her hands behind her back, squirming in place.

"Oh! Then I'll ask it from you." - Issei closed his eyes, nodded his head, and began walking.

Before walking past Yae, he discreetly looked at Ericia, she responded with a nod of her head.

Their thoughts; 'I have something important to do, I'll leave first.' And; 'Understood, be cautious.'

Issei smirked and placed his hands on his coat pockets. He walked away, Yae at his side.

His mind kept running, his thoughts as well. - (Maybe I can...) - He, as always, was scheming something.

Shiva looked a bit intrigued by the sudden communication between the Dragon and the Vampire but decided to ignored it. Just by his questions alone it made him understand what the Dragon wanted to do.

That gleam inside his eyes when seeing his daughter proved to him something else, he smiled at that thought.

Ericia and Fuuki looked at each other a bit confused. Issei wasn't exactly like this. What is he thinking? Why sudden interest in those books? Why is he so relaxed, when he is so cautious?

They had many questions, but decided to ignore them. As long as it wasn't something bad then they didn't care.

Soon after, they decided to leave, Ericia went to another location inside the training field and Fuuki decided to go back to sleep.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Library of Mount Kailash—-**

* * *

 **.**

The Libary inside this Mountain was ridiculous, Issei was genuinely amazed the moment Yae opened the door to it.

It was huge to say the least. The ceiling had many different decorations and drawings, all depicting a battle or an event. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, all having many candles on them bringing light to the Library.

The color of all the place was Golden with a bit of red. The floor was made of a dark wood that was shining with the light of the candles on top, and the bookcases were as tall as the ceiling.

They were many bookcases, all lined up in a vertical way until nothing could be seen at the distance. At the sides of them, there were some torches and old antique ladders rested against the sides of the bookcases, maybe to reach the higher parts of them.

Yea walked in front of Issei and turned around. She didn't seem affected by the beauty of this place.

"Welcome to the Library!" - She opened her arms and said in an exaggerated manner, then she turned her whole body around giving him her back.

"In here all the knowledge my Pantheon has to offer, is stored! Every book since the beginning of the Hindu Pantheon was personally collected and placed here by my Father, Shiva! The many books this place has stored are on the Hundreds of Thousands! The exact quantity is unknown, and all of them are utterly unique, so there are no copies here!"

She seemed to like to explain things. She was also very good at it, like a natural talent she had to be an arbiter or something around those lines.

"Fufun!" - She smiled triumphantly while both of her hands were on her hips.

(Did I amazed him? I hope I did...) - She thought while fidgeting in her spot.

But she didn't hear single voice, nor noise, nor something at all. - "Ara?" - She said as she turned around.

Nothing was behind her.

She blinked her eyes and titled her head to the side. - "Huh?" - She said.

"Oh! So there was this type of book here." - She heard a voice to her left.

Issei was looking at a book that he never expected to be here. A Romance Novel and a smutty one at it.

"Hmm... Quite interesting..." - He said as he expertly flipped the pages of the book.

"Why are you there?! You missed Yae's amazing explanation about this place!" - She yelled at him while practically appearing at his side.

"Hm?" - He was curious. - "Well, you were taking your sweet time, so I just walked towards a bookcase and grabbed a book while you were done." - He deadpanned.

Yae blinked her eyes in confusion. - "Haaa..." - She sighed in defeat.

She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, then she said.

"Please listen to what I'm saying, it's important for you to understand the History behind this place! As you are our guest we need to show you the courtesy of Mount Kailash and that includes the History behind this place."

With this she thought that he would understand.

(Was I too serious? Did I say too much? Oh! I hope he's not mad, I would hate if he's angry at me, but...) - Her thoughts were as fast as lightning.

Opening her eyes she was about to mutter an apology, only to meet with absolutely nothing again.

"Huh?" - Question marks appeared above her head, she looked cute with her confused expression.

"Oh, Yae! Come here, I really don't know where to find the books I'm looking for." - Issei was further away. He had another book in his hand this one also seemed to be another Novel.

"Please listen when Yae's talking!" - Yae yelled, causing Issei to giggle slightly.

"Soo... Where are the Alchemy books?" - He said again just to tease her.

Yae sighed in complete defeat and slumped her shoulders. - "I'm going..." - She seemed to be defeated by the antics of Issei.

(HaHaHa. Her reactions are priceless!) - He knew his plan worked.

"Oh. Thanks again Yae." - He decided to smile a bit, maybe as an apology.

Yae was walking with her sunken shoulders when she heard his voice again.

(At least, he's nice with—) - Her thoughts stopped as she looked at him.

Issei's small smile caused her to blush a bit. But his slightly gentle eyes and the book in his hands accentuated, in her eyes, his handsome face a lot more.

"T-There's n-no need to T-Thank me..." - She covered her face with her hair and her ears, she even fidgeted in her spot.

Issei was a bit confused by this but just ignored it.

Yae finally walked closer to him, her eyes still a bit misty.

(Focus Yae!) - She hit her cheeks with her hands.

(You know that he's handsome, but focus! He asked your help for something and Father is counting on you! Do not let his handsome face and even handsomer smirk... and those extremely comforting eyes... and that sweet voice... and his...) - She was lost in thought again.

Issei saw how she hit her cheeks and then a hint of determination filled her eyes, only after that did her eyes turned dreamy and misty, she was completely lost in thought.

(Is she okay?) - He asked inside his head.

[HaHaHaHaHa! You truly have a gift Partner! HaHaHaHa] - He heard Ddraig's voice and laugh.

(Do you know what happened to her Ddraig?) - He asked back.

[HaHaHaHa! Maybe I do, but I won't say.] - Ddraig was having a blast.

(Huh? What's wrong with you?) - His only answer was his laugh, but he decided to cut the link between them and focus on Yae.

"Yae." - He said while looking at her, but it didn't seem to work.

"Yae! Are you okay?" - He placed a hand on her shoulder.

That seemed to woke her up from her daydreamig.

"Hm?" - She shook her head a bit and then looked at the one who woke her up.

"Oh! Issei-san..." - As she said that she widened her eyes in shock.

(He saw me like that?! Oh no! What if he thinks that I'm—) - Her thoughts were stopped.

"Yae, are you seriously fine? If you don't feel well I can stay here on my own." - He crossed his arms while he asked.

His warm but sharp voice that seemed to have a bit of worry caused Yae to cough, so as to get rid of her thoughts, and blush.

"Do not worry, Issei-san. I'm okay, just a bit tired from the training." - She smiled while waving her hands from side to side.

"Oh. I understand." - He agreed to her words and turned around, walking towards a random direction.

(Haaa... Safe.) - She thought while breathing a bit to calm her heart down.

After that, she walked towards Issei and helped him find the books he was looking for.

* * *

.

After finding the books Issei was looking for, Yae decided to stay with him.

She thought that he might need help and well, she would love to help.

Soon her thoughts were proven right.

"Yae, can you explain this to me? I don't quite get it." - Issei had an extremely thick book with a green cover in his hand. The title read as; 'Differences and Similitudes between Herbs'

He walked closer to Yae while looking at the page he was in.

She was sitting at one side of him, another book on her desk, while the light of a candle helped her read better.

"Sure, Issei-san!" - Her eyes basically shinned when he asked this.

(Fufun! I can show you how much I know!) - She hid her smile.

(Since I was a child I spent a lot of my time here, so any question you have are easy to me!) - She was happy about proving her knowledge to Issei.

Issei walked closer and leaned over her shoulder, putting his book on top of hers.

"Here, the difference between 'Fish Scaled Grass' and 'Dragon Scaled Grass'." - He was curious about this, he coudn't quite understand it.

Yae blushed as she felt Issei's arm on her shoulder, his face was also extremely close to her.

(Close! Far too close! Please, stay a bit away, my heart can't take it!) - Her thumping heart was clearly heard by her ears.

Nevertheless, she still replied while hiding the thump in her chest.

"Fish Scaled Grass is a small herb the size of a hand. Its leaves are the size of a fingernail and have small white dots on them." - She explained while doing her very best.

"It mainly is used by Alchemists due to its warm nature and healing properties. However, Dragon Scaled Grass is different." - She seemed like a teacher.

"Dragon Scaled Grass, is also very similar to the Fish Scaled Grass, but its leaves are the size of a soybean and it has only one white spot on each of its leaves." - She said.

"It's also cold in nature, so if you break the stem off a yellow liquid should come out. That liquid is used as a stabalizer during the 'Refinement' of Medicines." - She finished explaining.

"...I see..." - Were the words of Issei. He was quite tired and he spent a lot of time in here with Yae, so something basic like this just slipped his mind.

(Must be getting tired.) - He concluded.

"Thanks Yae, for everything." - He turned his head around and thanked her with sincerity.

"No problem!" - She smiled, her ears were even moving excitedly.

"Then, I'll take my leave. I'm a bit tired and want to rest if it's possible." - He said as he walked towards where he thought the exit was.

Yae was a bit shocked by his words. To be honest with herself she really liked being with him, although he teased her quite a bit, he was extremely nice. His eyes also were extremely comforting for her, as if he experienced something that she could completely understand.

(...Issei-san...) - She thought as she looked at his back.

Then she decided!

Gathering the courage she had, she yelled at him. - "Issei-san!"

He turned around. - "Hm?" - Was his response.

"I-If it's fine with you. W-Would y-you like to m-meet me here again tomorrow?" - She said the last part extremely quickly.

Issei was confused by this but seeing her fidgeting in her spot caused him to agree.

"Sure Yae. Same hour." - He turned around once again, finally leaving the place.

Yae was happy at this. Seeing his walk of she lifted a hand on top of her body and said. - "Yeess!" - Her smile was obvious.

After that, she placed both hands in front of her body, grabbing her fingers and playing with them. Her face was a tad red, and her ears were so as well.

(I... I did it!) - She smiled. - (He will come tomorrow, this definitely will be good!) - She thought.

(He wouldn't think I'm too daring right!? I mean, I know it's too fast but I wanted to keep talking to him and all...) - Her thoughts kept spinning.

(I mean, I haven't been with any other male aside from my Father and Brothers, he's going to be the first...) - Then a sudden possibility came into her head.

(Isn't this a date?! A man and a woman, alone, together. It's definitely a date! Oh no, he won't think I'm bold right!? I swear it's not like that Issei-san! I'm not thinking this is a date or anything. I mean it's not like I don't think you're atractive, rather the completely opposite you're extremely handsome and kind and...) - Her thoughts kept going in that direction.

Soon inside the Library there was a bunny with an extremely red face. Both of her hands covered her face as she kept hopping from one side to the other.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / Mount Kailash; Issei's Room / Later at Night—-**

* * *

 **.**

Issei was laying down on his bed, watching the sun set in the horizon through the window inside his room.

(Haa... Such an amount of information, it's not going to be easy. At least Yae helped me by finding the most important books.) - He thought while turning his head around.

The rabbit was extremely nice and they shared much knowledge about each other. Mainly Yae talking and asking him some random things and Issei answering.

She even asked about his adventures. He smirked at her questions, making some red appear on her cheeks, and talked about some of them.

The purity in those eyes and the lack of a hidden interest in her questions made him a tad bit more talkative than before.

After some long hours spent inside the Library, Issei finally decided to leave. He saw a sad light inside the eyes of Yae that quickly vanished, but that was enough for him. Maybe his plan was not that far-fetched after all...

Inside his room, Ericia and Fuuki were with him. One on the bed sleeping like a log right next to him, and the other in the desk on the other side of the wall, reading something.

While looking at the ceiling Issei was in thought.

(A Treasure so rare that it can help a Dragon...) - His mind kept spinning. He didn't know what was going to happen.

(Haa... Well for now, lets not worry about this.) - He decided to move on.

Tilting his head to the left, he noticed that night-time already arrived.

(Well, time to go.) - He remembered Shiva's words.

He stood up from the bed, stretched his numb body, and began walking towards the door. Waking Fuuki up during the process, and making Ericia glance at him curiously.

While turning the knob he said to the residents while turning his head.

"Shiva said he wanted to meet me during the night at the garden. I'll be back soon. If I'm not, then leave as soon as you can." - He was cautious as always.

The women widened their eyes in surprise but still nodded their heads. Internally they still refused his order, if things go wrong then they will fight with him and... die with him.

Issei knew about this, so he wanted to do the best he could so that nothing goes wrong.

Opening the door of the room, he left.

* * *

.

After walking around the Mansion, Issei managed to arrive at the garden.

The entire place was pitch black, only the light of a few torches placed all over the garden—and a few fireflies, were the only things that brought light to this garden.

As he began walking, he decided to go towards the bodhi tree.

The lake that was once a clear an tranquil blue turned black, it looked like an abyss ready to swallow you up.

Underneath the bodhi tree was a young boy. He was looking at a firefly that was resting on top of his index finger. The light in his eyes held an absolute power and wisdom even Issei wanted to have.

Soon, the little firefly flew away from the finger of the God and he turned around.

"So you came." - Shiva said while looking at the young Dragon.

"Yes. Now, why are we here?" - He went direct for the point.

"You should know, right? Drake." - Shiva replied in a mysterious tone.

"I have my suspicions." - Issei said while crossing his arms and walking even closer to the bodhi tree. He was a meter away from Shiva.

"Oh? Then surprise me Dragon." - Shiva basically ordered the Dragon.

"Its about Yae's past right? About your daughter's experiences in her life." - Issei replied without any kind of fear.

"Hoo..." - He muttered impressed.

"Indeed Sekiryuutei, it's about my daughter." - Shiva gave him the reason.

Shiva pated the ground at his side. Issei raised a brow to this but then shrugged his shoulders. He sat down next to Shiva and looked directly at the river.

"You see Sekiryuutei, my daughter is a special existence." - He explained. - "A genius among her own kind, but also the very last of them." - Shiva never looked at Issei, he just stared at the lake.

"She is not my blood daughter, rather my adopted daughter. However, I love her even more than my own flesh and blood." - He smiled.

"Her story, she doesn't mind me telling you." - Shiva said while turning his head around.

Issei stayed silent, his eyes were closed. Seeing this, Shiva took his silence as approval.

"Yae is the last of the 'Moon Rabbits'." - Shiva looked at the star-filled sky and began narrating.

Issei was confused, he felt that he had heard about that before, but he couldn't quite remember...

"The Moon Rabbits were famously known thanks to a certain Legend based on selflessness."

"Thanks to that sole act of sacrificd, they were given the greatest of honors by Indra." - This surprised Issei a bit.

"He made the entire tribe his personal guards. Although they were not famous, they were respected among our Pantheon. And thanks to their great merits, Indra adored them and gifted them with many treasures." - His voice sounded melancholic.

"He gave the strongest warrior of the tribe, the greatest power. Power comparable to one of his own 'Heavenly Generals', if not more!"

"He gave them a replica of his own weapon, forged by Brahma himself." - He said while lying down on the grass.

"His 'Vajra'—his lighting, was why they were most famous for. They even called themselves the 'Lightning of Indra' and no one dare to refute it. However, everything good has its ending." - This comment made Issei stare at him.

Shiva had a really old look in his eyes, as if he was recalling memories he rather not remember.

"The Great War was not only fought amongst the Three Biblical Factions. Everyone in the Supernatural was involved."

This words shook Issei to the core. He never had heard about that!

He thought that the War was only between Christianity, not a free-for-all!

"It began only for the sake of pride and power, thinking that by eradicating all the rest of the Pantheons they would stand Supreme! Alone in the World, yours to rule over with an iron fist!" - He exclaimed. - "But things were terrible, not only did the War became even more gruesome, it changed the Gods. Some for good as they learned the value of Life and others, many others, for evil as they were infatuated with it." - He had sadness in his voice.

"Indra, was one of those cases." - He confessed. - "He became 'twisted', becoming obsessed with the war, thriving for victory, always victory... even if it meant the Death of his subordinates and friends." - He had a bitter tone of voice.

"Of course, the Moon Rabbits followed him due to their loyalty and courage, but after many years of senseless War they became less and less in number." - He sounded exhausted.

"The Chief at that time saw this and tried to talk his Master, to retreat from the War. To stop the endless slaughter! ...But Indra never listened." - He was disappointed.

"Desperate, the Chief planned to rebel. But the rest of his tribe was so lost in the War that they kept thinking about getting revenge for their parents, brothers, or lovers, so no one listened to him. ...None, except for one." - He smiled a bit at this.

Issei was completely silent, he didn't want to interrupt him.

"That sole person was a woman. She was courageous and strong, she was the strongest user of Lightning in the whole tribe! Blessed by her natural talent she was known as the; 'Incarnation of Lightning.'" - Shiva lifted the corner of his mouth.

"But even with all of the fame and power, she didn't care. Her only wish was for the War to stop, and save as many of her tribe as she could. So she followed the man." - He smirked.

"She didn't think twice about following him since their goals were the same. She didn't even care about what would happen if Indra discovered that they were planning on rebelling. She just wished for freedom and peace, so she fought for that." - Issei was silent, only paying attention.

"Her bravery and character managed to steal the heart of the leader—the same could be said to have happened to her. Slowly, they began to fall in love. Spending more and more time with each other."

"After some time they forged out their plan. Hoping to live together forever in peace! But things became even tenser..." - He was saddened by this. - "The fall of the Persian Pantheon at our hands made all other participants in the War excited, Indra was one of the most pleased..."

"Seeing this, the couple decided to wait a bit more, it wasn't the time. But unknown to them, the rest of their tribe always kept an eye on them. Thinking about the words that their "Leader." - He quoted the last word. - "Once said to them."

"And sooner-or-later... their plan was found out." - Issei widened his eyes a bit.

"At that moment Indra was furious." - He clutched his fist in anger. - "Blinded by his anger he went for the lives of both of them. But the man decided to sacrifice his own life for the sake of his lover and honor their own Legend." - He had a sad smile.

"When Indra arrived, he flipped the entire town over until he was found. The man was accused of many crimes—some of which he didn't even commit, but no one cared about that..." - He sighed. - "The man's only wish—his last wish, was for his lover to be safe."

Issei was surprised, he knew that the man must have really loved the woman if he was willing to go that far for her.

"And so he was sentenced to death. But his lover was spared, exiled from the tribe, but alive. This thanks to his many merits during his life as a warrior." - Shiva looked at the Sekiryuutei and he found him paying all the attention he could.

"His lover pleaded and cried just for one night to talk to him, their last night together, she begged and begged... until Indra agreed."

"That night the man and the woman became one, and unknown to them they made the full family that they wished." - He smiled at this. - "Then the man told his lover to run away as far as possible and gifted her the most precious armor in the entire Pantheon. A relic used by every Chief of the tribe since time immemorial. An armor that Indra got due to trickery, and due to a vow that the one that had it decided to fulfill."

"It was a gift from Indra himself to his own father, the former chief, since Indra couldn't use it due to its curse towards him."

Issei was silent, this story was quite sad. A romance that couldn't be fullfilled due to a ridiculous War. And a man betrayed by his own kind because of wishing the best for them...

"The day of the execution, the woman saw his loved one walk with his head high going towards his death. He was satisfied since he was successful in protecting his love. But tragedy occurred." - His voice was bitter. - "During his execution, news about Indra and his Generals being there were spread, and the last of the extinct Persian Pantheon came to claim the lives of all."

"The Evil Dragon—Azi Dahaka—came and used his entire power to kill anything in his eyes." - This surprised Issei. - "The battle made the Heavens quake and the Earth to crack. All was lost by the power of that Dragon... Indra had to slaughter his way out, eliminating the dead army the Dragon conjured."

"Many of Indra's Generals died there, and the entire tribe of Moon Rabbits were annihilated... not one remained. Azi Dahaka also perished there, in the cataclysmic battle, but was satisfied by eliminating the entire 'Lightning of Indra' and taking the lives of his Heavenly Generals. He, alone, managed to decrease our Pantheon's overall strength by a huge margin!" - His voice was tragic, his face even changed a little.

"However, only one Moon Rabbit survived." - He was relieved at these words.

"The woman left the moment she saw her lover die by the sharp fangs of the beast. Failing to rescue him in the midst of chaos."

"Crying tears of grief she left and wandered all around the world, hiding from one place to another." - Shiva was satisfied with this as if it was a good decision.

"Soon she noticed her Pregnancy and using all of her strength and power, she activated a forbidden spell that cost a part of the life she had left. She stopped the development of the baby, hoping she would give birth when everything was calm and the War was finally over."

"Years, Decades even, passed and I found the woman." - He confessed. - "I helped her and gave her a home. Since I was also quite confused after the War, seeing my friends fall one after the other and seeing the battlefields being painted with my comrade's blood. I... didn't know how to react. ...And so I left and roamed the World until I coincidentally found her."

"However, because of the spell she cast on the baby and the years that passed like that, her body became increasingly weaker and the life of the baby was in danger." - His tone worried. - "I took a liking to the woman, she was the only being that wasn't afraid of me due to my power, and for that, I was grateful." - He had a small smile on his face.

"Her only wish was to give birth after the War finished, ...but things weren't what she thought."

"The Pantheons were in a mess, and internal fights broke out. Even I, needed to go back unless I wanted my Pantheon to experience its demise. And so, I left her on her own, hoping to end everything as fast as I could." - He sadly said.

"The Human World unexpectedly experienced a change after the Great War." - He sighed. - "And Humanity started to fight against each other, each battle worse than the last." - Shiva explained while looking at the moon.

"The Roman Empire constant greed for territory and riches. The fall of Mother Civilizations all over the World, further weaking the other Factions. The fall and rise of Kingdoms and Cities. The Crusades of the Christians. The Huns unsatiable thirst for blood." - Shiva kept recounting.

"Hundreds upon Hundreds of Wars, all because of Religion, Race, Territory, Belief and so much more!" - He was angry, the God of Destruction was angered.

"The entire World, thanks to us, was left in a mess... And we couldn't help since we were the same as them!" - Shiva was feeling ashamed of himself.

He took a breath and calmed his emotions while thinking about the past. Then he inhaled and continued telling the story.

"After more time passed the body of the woman became pale and weak and I couldn't notice it on time since I left her alone..." - He obviously felt regret.

"Her life... was close to an end." - He said with a hurt look in his eyes. - "As a last resort, she begged me to save the baby... even if it meant her own death." - His voice was serious.

"And so I did."

Issei widened his eyes, he was surprised that he actually agreed with that!

"The procedure was heart-wrenching for me, the wails of the woman still echo inside my head from time to time..." - He lamented. - "But it was successful! The baby lived!" - He smiled, an aura filled with satisfaction was present on him.

"And with her last strength, she named her baby and gifted her with the armor from her father and the lighting of the mother. And soon after left this world, finally rejoining with her loved one." - He had a sad smile on his face.

"I raised her as my own flesh and blood, and thanks to that I love her even more than my own flesh and blood." - He was smiling this. - "But her life was not easy... being the last of her race and being my daughter—even if only in name, meant her life was never going to be simple."

His mood changed once again, even a tinge of regret was seen in his eyes. His hands were against his face, and his eyes were looking straight at the lake.

"Not having her true 'father' and 'mother' affected her more than I can think." - He had a grim look on his face.

"And after discovering the truth, she was in despair. Her entire life was a lie, her own parents turned out to be fake and she was the last of a race that was bred for War." - He was sad at his own words.

"It was too much for her. And it took a long time for my wife and me to make her understand what happened, and make her understand that we loved her even if she's not our flesh and blood." - He finished explaining while sighing rather heavily.

"It took a lot of us to make her understand that she was not alone. That we love and cherish her. That she is our daughter. And in the end, we succeeded." - He had a smile on his face as he exhaled.

After those words silence reigned in the garden. No one talked, they just stared at the black lake with an indecipherable look in both of their faces.

* * *

.

The silence seemed eternal, but they both knew that they needed it.

Shiva finally was calm and decided to break the silence.

"So Sekiryuutei, what do you think? Yae is one that has been through a lot, even before her birth. I believe you should understand her better than most."

Shiva knew that he experienced something bad, after all, he saw the Ritual.

Issei kept his silence for some time, seconds turned into minutes.

Then, he decided to talk.

"Shiva, I'll be honest. Yae is a great woman and it's not because of being your daughter. In the brief hours we spent together, I can guarantee you that she's nice, smart, quite beautiful, and also goofy. She's easy to tease and her reactions are splendid." - Issei looked at the lake as well, a small smirk on his face.

"She's someone that's always fun to be around. She's not arrogant, rather quite humble. But, she's someone that has suffered a lot." - He told him.

"Her eyes give her out, especially if it's me who's looking at them." - Issei had melancholy in his voice.

"Those eyes are the ones of someone that discovered something horrible, and by what you told me, it is the truth." - He sighed.

"However, she managed to stand up to it and continue walking. That, is not something anyone can do. Even I almost died because of the horrible truth I was living in." - He shrugged his shoulders.

"The reason I talked—and decided to be normal around her, is because of that. The moment I saw those eyes that were the very same as mine, she gained my respect." - Issei confessed.

Shiva was quiet, his face expressionless. But inside his mind the character of the current Sekiryuutei was quite to his liking. Behind that cold and sharp façade, there is the warmth and kindness he had. One just needed to gain his approval and they will see his true self willingly.

"The more I talked to her the more I liked her. Damn, I mean, she just so similar to me. It's like if I am looking at a mirror." - He was amazed by this.

"Maybe I would have turned that way after the Ritual if not for my Aura. Maybe I could have been someone different, instead of the who I am right now... but who knows." - Issei smirked at this and shrugged his shoulders.

"So that's why Drake? You, that is right now like a cold sharp blade, talked to her due to the similarity you thought you two had? And what similarity do you two share according to you?" - Shiva said while looking at him his voice sharpening a bit, depending on his answer everything will change. This was his test.

"It's not that I think she might have it. She does have it, Shiva."- Ise told the God without fear. Shiva was staring right at him, waiting for an answer.

Then, while looking at the night-sky full of stars, he said. - "Her will to live, even if her past haunted her. That, is what we have in common."

This took Shiva by suprise, but he didn't say a word.

"She has experienced in her life being left alone by her blood family." - He stared at he moon.

"She discovered that her whole life was a lie. She was left completely alone without anyone to help her. She suffered, maybe not in the way I did, but this is not a competition." - He turned his head and said while looking into Shiva's eyes.

The will, resolve, and determination was obvious for Shiva to notice. Even he, the God of Destruction, agreed with his words.

"But, at that moment, she had you and your wife. Even if you two were not her parents." - He smiled. - "So you two tried and tried, for quite some time to make her accept that she is a part of your family, even if not by blood. You, made her keep on moving." - He said while resting both of his hands on the grass and leaning back.

"In my case I only had Ddraig, and even with him at my side I made a lot of stupid shit. She might have experienced something pretty bad, but at least she had a father and a mother to back her up during those tough times." - He smiled a bit.

"I did not have the luxury." - He was melancholic.

"I was only with my best friend that couldn't physically stop me from doing something dumb." - He said while looking at him.

"What happened to me was that I had my expectations, my dreams, and my sole heartfelt wish, be crushed into pieces right in front of me by the ones I loved." - His voice was heavy. - "And what is worse is that it wasn't only once..." - He confessed.

"The thing you most cherish and value in life, can also become the worst poison that eats you from the inside..." - His voice was hollow.

Shiva kept looking at him, his eyes held a myriad of emotions. But he didn't say a thing...

"The trust I had was destroyed, not a piece of it remains till this day. Believe me, Shiva. Trust takes a long time to form and seconds to break. And when it breaks, it leads to betrayal..." - His eyes were emotionless.

"...And the worst part of Betrayal is that it never comes from your enemies."

Issei accepted this once and for all. He knew that what he had will never come back, he was going around in circles, it was better if he let go of this.

At that moment Issei felt a weird feeling on his chest, as if a weight was slowly being pushed off.

(Hmm? What?) - He thought as he kept sensing this feeling. After some time he realized what it was.

(Haaa...) - He mentally sighed. - (Seems that this talk is more for me than for anyone else, huh?) - He deduced that this talk was helping him move on. Maybe this was Shiva's plan?

Shiva looked at the Dragon after he finished his explanation, they made eye contact that lasted for some brief seconds. Soon after, they broke it off and Shiva lifted the corner of his lips.

"You're certainly different from the past. So perceptive and wise beyond your years, Sekiryuutei." - Shiva looked at his hands and kept talking.

"Hm? I believe that it's something normal." - He dismissed his compliment.

"Ha!" - Shiva laughed a bit at his response.

"So Sekiryuutei, in the end. What is your wish?" - He wanted to know his answer after all of this.

Issei looked at him and then sighed.

"I want to be free. I want to protect the ones I love. And I also want to help anyone that has experienced the same as me." - He answered.

"HaHaHa!" - Shiva sounded happy. - "Then I'll leave Yae to you, treat her well!" - He was serious.

Issei widened his eyes at these words. Did he mean?!

"She should go out of her home and see the World, nothing should come by just staying here. If it's you, I am sure that you will help and protect her." - Shiva said again, clearing Issei's doubts.

Issei was in shock, did Shiva just gave his daughter to him? Did he just agree to what he had been thinking since he saw her?

(Did he read me since the beginning? How did he discovered that I wanted her as part of my Team? Not even Ericia or Fuuki noticed!) - He was a bit frightened at this thought.

"You're too young to think you can hide it from me Sekiryuutei, that gleam in your eye was quite obvious for me not to notice." - Shiva said.

"I don't blame you, nor am I angry at you. After all, all of this was to prove if you were worthy of her." - Issei understood what he meant, but he felt that his words seemed to hint at something else...

However, Issei decided to respond. - "I will, if that's what you want me to do." - He smirked a bit.

His words kept going. - "Shiva, since you agree to what I was thinking, then that's great. I indeed thought she was an excellent candidate for my own Team, but I never thought you read me so well..." - He had a mocking smile on his face, probably aimed at himself.

Shiva didn't answer, he only had a strange light inside his eyes.

Issei knew that he wouldn't answer, he just smirked, placed both of his hands inside his pockets, and turned around.

While leaving he said. - "I'll ask Yae this personally, after all I want her to agree to this herself. For now I'll enjoy the talks we have." - He smirked.

"Don't blame me when I take your daughter away, Shiva." - This caused a bit of surprise in the eyes of the God.

After that, Issei began walking off. He was calm and Shiva could notice that he was different from what he was in the past.

Seeing him like that Shiva decided to help him on something. Just a few words.

Shiva smirked a bit and then stood up, seeing the Sekiryuutei walking away he said with a calm but powerful voice that made Issei stop on his tracks.

"Before you leave young Sekiryuutei." - His words were filled with a serious feeling.

"Your Lifespan." - This caused Issei to tremble slightly, but he didn't turn around. He didn't want Shiva to look at his face, filled with shock and a bit of fear.

(This is ridiculous! Can he see through me like it's nothing?! This is just terrifying!) - He thought.

Then Shiva's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"If you wish to find something to help you, then I recommend for you to go to a Human Alchemy Guild, they should have answers to the questions you have." - He smiled mysteriously.

Issei just glanced at him over his shoulder. - "How?" - He didn't understand how he figured it out.

"Your natural aura is weak, young dragon." - He replied. - "So of course I would notice that you halved your Lifespan, it's quite simple for someone like me." - He smiled in a mysterious way.

Issei decided to give up on trying to hide anything from him, it was just useless.

Swallowing his pride he decided to ask something once again.

"Where?" - This was the most important question until now.

Shiva smiled and placed both of his hands behind him, he then said a single word. - "Germany."

This caught Issei by surprise, why there? Are the headquarters there? Or was it because of something else?

Nevertheless, he decided to nod his head and thank him. - "I see... Thanks." - He then walked off from the garden, a bit too quick in his opinion.

Seeing him like that caused Shiva to lightly laugh.

* * *

.

After watching him cross the huge wooden door at the entrance of the garden, Shiva talked.

"What do you think?" - He looked at a nearby tree and smiled.

His words landed on empty ears, nothing was there. But after a few seconds he just crossed his arms and stared at the tree in question.

Like he thought, something did happen.

A magic dome with extremely complex symbols appeared from behind the tree.

It's shape was that of many different magic circles stuck to one another, it had the colors of a rainbow and seemed to be difficult to cast and even harder to constantly maintain.

The dome of magic shattered into pieces and turned into particles of light that disappeared even before they touched the ground.

A woman came from within it, she had a serious glint in her eyes but a happy smile all over her face.

"Are you sure he didn't notice me, husband?" - Parvati asked while being cautious.

"Not even I did, wife. If I hadn't known beforehand that you were going to be here, I would have definitely not noticed you." - He confessed.

"Great!" - Parvati smiled and said with hapiness. It seemed that she wasn't titled the Goddess of Power and Divine Strength for nothing. In her Pantheon she was extremely feared, and respected.

"So? Your answer?" - He asked again.

"Oh!" - She placed a hand on her mouth because of surprise. This scene caused Shiva to sigh, she was always like that.

"I like him very much!~" - She said. - "I knew we weren't wrong. He's just good at hidding his true nature." - She walked closer to her husband.

"True." - Shiva agreed.

She then said sweetly. - "He's the one, definitely. Just need to play it a bit slowly and then... HuHuHu~" - Her smile was that of a match-maker.

"And Yae?" - He asked.

"Oh! I spied on them when going inside the Library and My-My~" - She smirked. - "We're definitely going somewhere~"

"I see..." - He sighed.

His wife came closer to him and hugged his back. She knew what he was thinking.

"I know that you're sad because she might leave. But it's needed. She needs to go outside and experience a lot of things. She needs to make friends and find someone to call her other half. In here she won't be able to do it." - She talked.

"She has suffered for a long time. This will help her, and if it's him at her side, then even better!" - She said those last words into his ear.

"...…" - Shiva was silent.

They remained like that for some time until he sighed and grabbed his wife's hand.

"I know. I'll put my trust in both of them, maybe something good will come out of it." - He agreed.

(Ho-Ho~ You have no idea, husband. No ideaaa~) - She thought while hidding a smile.

* * *

 **—-Scene Change / A Couple of Days Later / Mount Kailash—-**

* * *

 **.**

After the little talk with Shiva, Issei became more open to the ones inside this Mountain.

He also kept spending a lot of time with Yae, that explained to him about Alchemy and some other topics he didn't quite understand.

What was weird was that she would sometimes have an extremely red face when talking to him, she even stuttered at times, but he felt that it wasn't anything bad so he let it slide.

Ericia and Fuuki were the same in a sense. When he wasn't inside the Library he was with one of these two.

Ericia walked closer to him and when they were eating, training, or just talking, she would grasp his hand subconsciously. And after making eye contact she would quickly release him and act as if nothing happened. Quite cute in his eyes.

He was happy that Ericia was trying to be closer to him.

Yae also talked to Ericia, a lot. Maybe because she was the last of her race as well. Even Ericia had to admit that she was fond of Yae, either because of her extremely positive personality, or the reactions at her teasing.

Fuuki however was a bit more... direct, towards him.

When alone, she would hug his entire arm and sometimes even smile foolishly, as if lost in thought. Her smile made Ise happy, she seemed to be really glad to be able to do this with him.

Also, something weird, was how every time Fuuki saw Yae both of them would stare at each others eyes as if having a fight. At times, sparks could be seen coming out of their eyes.

Even Yae would have a tick on her brow every time Fuuki pressed his arm on her breasts. But he believed that aside from that, they were on extremely good terms with one another. He hoped...

Also, due his constant teasing and talks in particular, Yae and him grew extremely close.

At the times when he would do something bad—at least that was what Yae said, she would try to reproach him. When that failed she would scold him, and as a last resort she even made a paper fan to 'correct' him. If even that didn't work she would just give up and sigh.

Clearly they were extremely close to each other after spending most of their time inside Mount Kailash.

Yae was happy about making her first real friends in her life, and Ise was happy that she was acting more comfortable around them.

* * *

.

Right now they were at the training field, Issei actually called everyone here. Apparently, he had something important to say to all of them.

Shiva and Parvati were side to side.

Shiva had an emotionless look in his eyes, but Parvati had a brilliant smile that she tried to cover with her hand.

Ericia and Fuuki were on the complete opposite side of them. Ericia had her arms crossed and a boring look adorned her eyes.

Fuuki was confused about why Ise called them here, but since it was him who asked, she didn't have any problem. She actually had a brilliant smile on her face.

* _Creeaaak!_ *

The humongous door of this place was opened.

From it, two figures could be seen, walking side by side.

Issei had an expressionless look written all over his face, but his eyes held a light full of expectation.

Yae was walking at his side, her normal clothes doted on her. She was smiling like she normally did, but something on that smile was different.

Parvati instantaneously noticed that change and tried to hide her giggle even more.

(HuHuHu~ Seems she did change during these days~) - She thought.

Shiva looked at his wife and tilted his head, he was a bit confused by her smile. But since he knew her like the back of his palm, he knew that she was just messing around with something, or was just happy at something.

As they reached closer, Yae and Issei separated themselves.

Issei went with his team and Yae to her parents.

The moment Issei stood near Fuuki, she basically launched herself towards his arm. Hugging it in between the valley of her breasts.

Issei was accustomed to this so he just dealt with it.

Ericia, on the other hand, had a bit of a jealous look in her red eyes. So as a response she walked closer to Issei, standing next to his other arm and crossing her own arms against her chest, causing Issei to glance for a brief second.

Fuuki closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek on Issei's arm.

(~Soo warmm~) - Were her thoughts.

The moment Yae saw he like that, a twitching eyebrow and dangerous glare was on her face and eyes.

(This fox... Why is she so close to Issei-san?! Rubbing her cheek on him like that! She should stand away from him! Five meters, no, fifty meters should be enough!) - Her thoughts were a bit dangerous, even a pale pink aura flowed out of her body.

Fuuki sensed the slight killing intent, so she opened her eyes. The moment they landed of Yae, she smirked. - "Ha~" - She was mocking her of course.

Yae, felt a vein pop on her forehead. She clutched her fists harder than before.

(This problematic woman! She's mocking me?!) - Fuuki's smirk increased in size.

(She's definitely mocking me! Do you think you can mock Yae that easily?! I won't let you off easily, do you hear! Do you Hear!) - She screamed inside her head.

"~HiHiHi~" - Fuuki giggled mischievously.

Issei then decided to rip his arm out of Fuuki's embrace, since he saw the glares between each other.

Fuuki only moved her head around cutely and looked at him, a pout on her lips and a cute expression on her face.

She then felt the eyes of someone on her. She was right, Yae looked at her.

The two made eye contact until Yae mocked back. - "Ha." - She then covered her mouth with a hand and broke the eye contact.

This caused Fuuki a tick on her eyebrow. She knew that she was provoking her!

Fuuki was pissed, but her words were stopped at her throat by Issei's voice.

"Sorry to call all of you so unexpectedly, but I believe it's time we should go. We spent more than a week here and I wouldn't like to intrude further and take advantage of your hospitality even more." - His voice was warm and sharp, but all noticed that he was as gentle as he could.

His declaration made Yae widen her eyes in absolute shock. Her ears limped down her face and sadness could be felt from her. Even her eyes held unwillingness.

(...Issei-san...) - She only thought of him and all of the moments they spent together. She obviously didn't want him to leave her.

Shiva and Parvati knew that he was planning something, so they were both silent.

Ericia saw the glint in Issei's eyes and held her words, Fuuki was happy with whatever decision he made.

"But." - He mouthed, with a gleam in his eyes.

"I would want to ask you something." - His sight locked on Yae, his eyes never leaving her.

Yae felt her heartbeat quicken when she saw those eyes, she even had a red tint on her cheeks, something that was seen by all.

"Yae, you are someone that I would like to know more." - He began his speech.

Ericia and Fuuki instantly knew what he wanted to do. Ericia had a intrigued look in her eyes, while Fuuki held shock in her own eyes.

"You're fun to be around, positive, creative, and courageous." - He smirked causing her blush to deepen.

"In the short time I have spent with you, I discovered that although you have been through much, you still stand tall. You're prideful at what you are, but not arrogant. You're gentle, kind, and knowledgeable in all aspects." - He continued his talk.

Shiva was sighing at this, he knew what was going to happen. Parvati was at his side hugging his arm, her smile was extremely warm and comforting.

"That's why I would like to ask." - He paused. - "Would you, Yae Rudra, like to be part of my Team and accompany all of us in our adventures? Would you like to be part of my Team in the Rating Games? And would you like to spend more of our time together?"

His words could be quickly misinterpreted but it wasn't his intention. He just wanted to get to know each other better and become closer friends.

But for Yae, and every other woman here, it was a different story. In their minds it seems like Ise just confessed!

Ericia sighed, she knew that he didn't mean it like that but he was just too good for other woman not to notice him.

She managed to control her jealousy and started to think with a clear head. Right now Fuuki was a handful, but she felt that Yae could be a good chain to restrict Fuuki with. Maybe she could profit from all of this? You know, like letting two sides fight each other and then come to reap the benefits.

Thinking like this, all of her negative thoughts went out the window. She could definitely take advantage of this! She hid the seductive smile that was aimed at Issei and tried her best to not show how she actually felt.

Fuuki was diferent from her, she was just stunned at his words! Her eyes widened and her mind was empty, she just stood there unmoving trying to process what he just said.

Yae had a blush all the way to her ears. Her heartbeat was extremely quick and her mind was a mess.

(To-To-Together?! L-Like a C-C-Couple?!) - Her thoughts stopped as she felt vapor coming out of her ears.

Issei was watching all of this with some confusion.

He saw that Ericia was comfortable with all of this, but he could feel her motives were more selfish than just what seemed to the eye.

Fuuki was frozen solid, as if she just witnessed something ridiculous. Issei thought that her brain was rebooting.

And Yae was a blushing mess, she couldn't think straight and she just kept mumbling something about daringness with a too happy of a smile on her face.

After the initial shock passed Yae breathed in and out and calmed herself down. She closed her eyes and began thinking, this time logically.

She really wanted to agree, but she couldn't leave her family like that could she? But her heart was definitely telling her to go.

(Aaaaa! Such a mess!) - She thought.

But then Shiva talked. - "We agreed to this." - His voice was serious and caused Yae to turn her whole body around.

"He told us before." - Parvati replied. - (Well... something like that...) - She thought.

Yae was shocked at this!

(Did Issei-san asked for my parent's permission since he knew that I wouldn't leave them by themselves?) - Her heart felt a sweet feeling. He was definitely considering her feelings in the matter.

Her smile became even gentler and her eyes were misty. This definitely struck her heart deeply.

She looked at Issei and gave him her sweetest smile. It momentarily caused him to freeze.

(Such beauty!) - He felt as if he won the lotery when he saw that smile.

Many other men would have fallen at her smile, her eyes, and just her presence alone. Even he felt mesmerized at the sight, but he stood strong!

"Issei-san..." - She muttered.

"Yes! I'll gladly be part of your team and spend even more time with you!" - She agreed to his proposal. A light full of determination and something else inside her eyes.

Issei felt shocked at this, but also extremely happy! This was definitely amazing for him! So lucky! Maybe lady luck hadn't abandoned him after all?

[Congratulations Partner! The last Moon Rabbit and daughter of Shiva. Your team is definitely filled with abnormalities.] - Ddraig told him while feeling happy at this.

Issei didn't reply, he just smiled sincerely. Ddraig knew that he was grateful at his comment.

"Then welcome to the team, Yae Rudra!" - He extended his hand towards her. She, of course, took it without wasting a single second.

"Yes!" - She nodded her head in happiness.

But at that moment Fuuki woke up from her stupor.

"Wait! Wait a moment!" - She yelled while walking closer to them.

"We don't know if she is strong enough to be a member of our team. You know what class of enemies are after us Issei!" - She told Issei.

Her words were logical. After all, none of them had seen her fight ever since first meeting her.

She would mainly pass her time talking with Issei and Ericia. Having unknown competitions with Fuuki—that would randomly start with just a glare—or she would be at the Library, also helping Ise.

But Issei didn't doubt her capabilities. She was Shiva's daughter and the last of a race whose bread and butter was fighting! So by no means was she weak. However, the rest of the team might think differently.

They didn't know about her background, only a small part of it; and that was the basis of her race.

His team was no dictatorship. So if someone had a problem, then it would be solved by asking the opinion of all present. But right now he believed that to prove something like this, there was only one way.

Yae was a bit surprised at this, but she knew that the fox was doing her best so that she doesn't come with them, more specifically with Issei.

Those eyes were emitting wariness and it was obvious, at least for her, to notice that Fuuki was extremely worried about the future possibilities between them.

So at this thought Yae and Fuuki looked into each other's eyes, sparks coming off them.

The atmosphere was heavy and no one said anything.

Issei knew what they wanted to do, and this could possibly be the best solution possible. After all, they could respect each other by learning how strong they were, and also understand each other through a fight, just like the first time Ericia and him met.

"Maybe this would be for the better..." - Issei muttered under his breath. Ericia was at his side, her head tilted in confusion.

Shiva and Parvati were also in agreement to this.

Shiva because he believed in his daughter and Parvati because she knew that this was Yae's first real test.

"Oh? So you think like that Fuuki- _san_." - Yae said her voice sharp, clearly unhappy about this.

"Yes, Yae- _san_. I wouldn't like for the _princess_ to be a burden for the Team. Especially with all the enemies we have." - Her smile was sharp and in no way did she back down from the challenge.

"HoHo! So enemies, huh. Well I would definitely not back down at all during a fight. Specially if it's _Issei_ who asks for _my_ help." - She hit a sore spot.

Fuuki had a twitching brow. - "I doubt it, _princess_. He knows what _I'm_ capable of, and he barely knows _you_ , so I really doubt he would ask for your help." - She smirked.

Yae's ears twitched and stood erect. She had her eyes closed while smiling and was emitting a heavy aura, at one moment Issei could swear her hair changed color.

"Well, I can not only help during a fight, but in other things as well. After all, _he_ asked for _my_ help and guidance during these days, something _you_ lack." - She mocked right back at her.

"Maybe. But I can also help in many other aspects as well. My power is not raw strength alone." - She smiled.

"Besides..." - Her smirk increased. Her eyes changed to those of a seductress, her whole appearance increased in sensuality and beauty.

"~If he wants _me,_ at any _moment_ ~ ~At any _time_ , no matter _where_ , I'm willing to give myself to himmm~" - Her voice as sweet as the Devil.

"~I'll do _everything_ he wants me to~ No. Questions. Asked. ~I'd be more than happy~" - She placed her hands under her breasts, highlighting them even more than before.

Fuuki licked her lips and moved seductively on her spot, giving off a sultry smile and emitting an unknown charm.

This took everyone by surprise, never would have they thought she would be so... shameless!

Yae was speechless, soon her face changed from white to red from embarrassment. She clearly understood what Fuuki was talking about.

Her face was as red as it could get, and her body was trembling due to shame and anger.

"S-S-Shameless!" - She was tongue tied, she couldn't reply at all.

Fuuki shrugged her shoulders and smiled even more, clearly happy about the result.

Her action caused Yae to be pissed even more, and after some time she exploded, she just couldn't hold it back.

"Outrageous... Yes that's right! It's downright outrageous!" - Yae said.

"To actually cause the Moon Rabbit; innocent, honest, upright, romantic and also the symbol of sacrifice that has been sung in praise to be angered to such an extent!" - Her words sounded fair, but she was still blushing.

"Romantic? You? Ha!" - Fuuki mocked.

"You can't even look straight at him without blushing and stuttering like a little virgin girl, much less trying to act romantic." - She said.

Both of them walked closer and closer to each other. Sparks could be seen coming off their eyes, an invisible aura was coming off them clashing constantly.

Each step was heavier than the last, even the atmosphere was different.

Soon they stood right in front of each other. Looking into each others eyes.

Fuuki had her arms crossed underneath her chest. And Yae was looking at her furiously, her ears on top of her head were twitching continuously.

The height disparity was obvious for them. Fuuki was half a head taller than Yae, but Yae didn't back down at all.

Seeing that the atmosphere kept increasing in heaviness and the decrease in temperature, Issei decided to intervene.

"Enough!" - He acted.

* _Hit!_ *

He hit Fuuki on top of her head, causing a huge bump to appear on her head.

"~~ _Ahhh!_ ~~" - She screamed but she didn't forget to do it sensually.

"~Iseee!~ Why you do this?! That's no way to treat your lover!" - She replied why crouching and rubbing her head.

He ignored her words, but inside of his head that 'scream' caused him to tremble a bit.

He then went and grabbed something. - * _Grab!_ *

"Uwa!" - And used his strength to pull on Yae's rabbit ears.

"What's the meaning of this!" - He said with a strong voice.

"Stop acting like children! If you want to fight, just fight! No need for this pointless rambling!"

"Uwa! Sorry! Is that the reason why you are angry?" - Yae said, surprised that he wasn't angry at the fight, rather wishing for it to start.

Issei, as a response, kept pulling Yae's ears with a rhythmic and strong force to get his point across, clearly unhappy.

"Hurts! It's really painful, Issei-san!" - She said while moving around.

At the sides Shiva was confused and a bit amazed by the sight. - (They really are a bunch of problematic children...)

* * *

.

After the little incident, those two were freed from Issei's grasp.

However, everyone here agreed that to avoid a possible future fight, they should still fight. That way they should get it out of their systems.

So after deciding how to actually fight this through, Issei asked them to follow him.

After spending a few minutes walking they reached an empty plain, filled with only dirt and rocks at the sides.

Afterwards, Issei asked Fuuki and Yae to stand some distance away from each other.

He, on the other hand, was in the middle of the two of them. Yae on his left and Fuuki towards the right.

"Alright! This duel is simple! The first to lose consciousness or gives up loses!" - He said while looking at his sides, his eyes were sharp and serious.

"No killing moves are allowed. And if I, or anyone present, feels that the battle has gone too far, we will stop it!" - He stated the simple rules.

"Understood?" - He asked at the both of them. His voice as serious as he could make it to be.

They nodded their heads at the same time, their eyes never went away from each other.

Yae was on guard, her center of gravity low, ready to pounce on her enemy.

Fuuki was standing straight, a foot in front of the other, clearly a defensive position.

"If so, then... begin!" - He signaled as the referee and jumped a huge distance back, right towards Ericia and the rest.

At that moment... hell broke loose.

* _BOOOOMMMM!_ *

The clash of both of them created a huge fissure on the ground.

Yae in a flash of sparks reappeared in front of Fuuki. Her right fist was pressing itself against Fuuki's left forearm.

Fuuki was surprised by the sudden increase in speed, she narrowed her eyes and decided to take this seriously.

(Her speed is absurd, and that power in really close to Issei's.) - Fuuki analized while taking a step back, taking distance.

She stared at Yae, moving her left arm in the meantime to get rid of the numbness.

Issei at the side was a bit surprised. - (Fuuki reinforced her physical defense with Tōuki and enhaced it even further with Senjutsu.) - He saw the white glow on her left arm and the hexagons spinning around her wrist.

(And even with that, she is still at a disadvantage...) - Issei narrowed his eyes.

He then looked at Yae. - (No additional help. That was raw strength alone.) - He didn't sense any kind of magical energy coming off Yae.

[Not exactly correct, Partner.] - He heard Ddraig's voice.

(What do you mean?) - He asked back.

[The Moon Rabbit used the entire strength of her legs to increase her speed. The momentum she generated should have been ridiculous. So it's not that she's strong with her arms, rather her legs are what you should be worried about.]

[I'm pretty sure a point-blank hit from one of her kicks, would make you lose a limb.]

[Right now she's just testing the waters.] - Issei was a bit amazed by the words of his Partner.

(So it's like that...) - He kept thinking.

At the same moment Yae decided to attack once again.

She disappeared in a flash of lightning, Fuuki at the same moment made her own move.

Behind her a huge hexagon appeared, the energy it emitted was substancial, one couldn't ignore it at all. Its red color indicated that it had an affinity with fire.

Yae reappeared right in front of her. Her right leg was cocked back and ready to kick!

* _BOOOM!_ *

She unleashed the kick.

The speed and power of the kick created an aftershock that sent a gale in all directions!

The Friction between her leg and the air was clearly visible for all to see, even small embers could be spotted around the tip of her foot.

(The increase in air pressure caused by Yae's kick made the water instantly condense and evaporate, creating friction and emitting heat... That kick just broke multiple sound barriers!) - Issei deduced amazed by the sight.

At that moment the horizontal kick landed on Fuuki's chest!

* _FOOSH!*_

But nothing happened. Her body vanished in mist.

(Afterimage? No... Illusion! It's Youjutsu!) - Yae thought while turning her head back around.

Fuuki was behind her, an Onmyōdō talisman in her hand. The paper was white with red lines, a normal Talisman.

" _Burning_ _Heavens_!" - Fuuki said while throwing the talisman at a close distance. At the same moment the Hexagon behind her lit up and released a bright red light.

The talisman broke into pieces and a huge wave of crimson-colored flames appeared on its place. The range covered everything in her sight!

(Damn!) - Yae knew she couldn't dodge that so she prepared herself for the impact.

* _BOOOOOOMMMM!_ *

The augmented talisman was strong enough to char everything on its surroundings black!

Fuuki, however, knew this barely did a thing. So while stepping back she clapped both of her hands loudly.

Five Senjutsu hexagons appeared behind her back and around her wrists. The hexagons revolved constantly, their golden light illuminated everything in sight!

Her body was surrounded by a thick, white mantle of Tōuki, she was preparing something rather big.

" _The_ _radiance_ _of_ _my_ _hand_ _is_ _the_ _logos_ _that_ _pierce_ _through_ _the_ _darkness_. _Fill_ _that_ _direction_ , _Crush_ _all_ _existence_ _and_ _become_ _a_ _cadence!_ " - Her sweet voice was heard.

" _Unshakable_ _Thunder!"_ \- The gold hexagons released a mayhem of lightning bolts, all of them striking towards Yae!

* _BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*_

The rumbling of thunder echoed, and the energy all felt was ridiculously high!

Fuuki dismissed the mantle of Tōuki and fixed her stance. Her back straight and her eyes looking at the huge mushroom-shaped cloud at the distance.

At the moment the cloud decreased in size, a scream was heard.

"HAAA!" - The rest of the dust in the air dispersed, and something could be seen.

Yae was standing at the center of a crater that was sizzling with electricity and heat, the combined attack of fire and lighting created superheated plasma further escalating the damage.

(So she survived it with only those wounds...) - Fuuki thought while seeing the torn clothing of the Moon Rabbit.

(Even when I potentially increased the damage and created a huge sphere of superheated plasma she only received that much damage...) - Fuuki was kind of worried about this.

At the same moment an increase in heat and energy was felt, and alongside a strong gale that was like a hurricane, the surrounding air was heated to the extreme by the increased thermal energies.

The increase energy gave off a thunderous boom further destroying the plain while Yae's hair gave off a light similar to the rainbows from a prism as it slowly dyed over from a shade of blue to red.

The change shocked everyone, the midnight blue from Yae's hair was replaced by a light-red! However, not only that happened.

(Her energy... it's two to three times that of the past!) - Issei, being a Dragon, could sense the aura much easily.

(This...) - Fuuki narrowed her eyes, she noticed the difference thanks to her Sage Arts.

At that moment Yae had raised her right arm...

A sharp screech that sounded like the ripping of the atmosphere itself was released and the boom of the explosion similar to thunder had filled the air while a long spear that sparked and shimmered like lightning was now held in her right hand.

As the spear materialized, all sensed that the spear was everything but normal. The gold color and the tri-pronged head were emitting a sizzling sound, and the metallic luster it had was blinding them.

Yae cleaned the blood out of the corner of her mouth and slightly fixed her torn clothing. She ignored the aching in her body and prepared herself.

"Now, lets fight seriously." - She crouched down and looked like a beast ready to pounce towards her prey.

* _CRAACK!_ *

The ground gave in and Yae sprinted towards Fuuki, the spearhead in front of her.

In less than the tenth of a second she reached her target. Her spear was pointed at the center of her body, and a golden electrical current circled around the spear.

Fuuki responded as well, but since she didn't have enough time to prepare something, she couldn't do much. A Hexagon appeared at the point of impact, the corners of which had different lights to support it.

* _RIPPP!_ * - The defense was torn to bits, and the might of the spear reached her body.

* _BOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!_ *

Fuuki was sent flying at a speed barely perceivable with the naked eye.

* _SMAAASHH!_ * - She crashed against some hill-sized rock and created a crater on the ground behind it.

Yae twirled the spear in a experienced way and dismissed it. Her face was a bit tired maybe using that spear consumed too much of her energy at the moment.

Issei felt that the spear was something special, so while turning his head around he looked at Shiva and asked.

"That spear... What is it?" - He was confused.

Shiva turned his head slightly and lifted an eyebrow with interest. He then decided to answer.

"That's something I gave her." - He answered while crossing his arms.

"It's a replica of course, but it was made by Brahma himself." - His words shocked Issei a bit.

"A weapon of a God?" - He asked.

"More-or-less, it's actually a combination of weapons." - Shiva confesed.

"The shaft and power is made to replicate Indra's own spear, but its might is not even half." - He said while closing his eyes.

"And the head is made after my 'Trishula' capable of breaking any kind of defense. But not close enough to my own weapon." - He sighed.

Issei widened his eyes at this, that spear was something given to her by the God of Destruction, and based on its own weapon and Indra's! This was something quite rare!

(No wonder it torned Fuuki's defense like paper.) - He concluded.

At the same time an explosion was heard coming from the crater.

* _BOOOOMMM!_ *

From within it, Fuuki jumped and landed on the ground. Her clothes were torn and her chest had a sizeable wound that although it didn't manage to reach her organs, it was still quite deep.

(That spear... if I take another hit, it's game over.) - She concluded while covering her chest with Tōuki and using Senjutsu to heal herself, her wound would take some time to heal mainly due to the lightning circling it.

Yae saw that the blow from her own spear didn't caused too much damage. She was a bit shocked, she actually planned to used that spear to land a heavy blow and then end it with her lightning, never would have she expected to end like this.

Not giving up she summoned another piece of equipment. A metallic device that was hard to explain. But the power it emitted was only second to that of the spear.

"A Vajra _?_ " - Fuuki noticed the oddly shaped artifact.

Then she covered her left hand with Tōuki and a Senjutsu hexagon appeared on top of it.

It was small in size but the many intricate designs and the Taijitu symbol at the center indicated that this one was vastly different from the rest.

Yae poined the 'tip' of her Vajra at Fuuki. Suddenly it released a huge lightning bolt the size of a tree trunk.

Fuuki did the same, she pointed her left hand and released her spell.

" _Trickster_ _Fire_ _Spirit_!" - She yelled.

From her palm a huge fire was seen, the shape it had was that of a lamenting spirit and the color was an eerie pale red.

* _BOOOOOMMMMM!_ *

The clash between the fire and lightning shook the earth, even the ones in the distance went further away.

Fuuki was blinded by the light from the clash, she closed her eyes. Yae used this gap to speed towards her, creating a long trail of destroyed earth.

Fuuki opened her eyes and saw Yae closing the distance between them. So she decided to change tactics.

Surrounding herself with the thickest layer of Tōuki she could use, she smacked a pair of talismans on both of her hands while yelling. - " _Armor_ _Tent,_ _Karmic_ _Clothes!"_

Her Tōuki seemingly changed into a solid state, giving her a pair of pseudo-gauntlets to further increase her defense.

Then she landed another talisman on her arms. - " _Diamond_ _Immortal_ _Physique!_ " - Her body was surrounded by a light similar to that of a shinning diamond, further reinforcing her defense.

Shiva opened his eyes when he saw this, he was a bit impressed by the talent of the Yōkai.

(She increased her physical defense by using Onmyōdō Arts. She covered her weak point substantially with those spells.) - Colored him impressed.

Yae moved, she stuck her body close to the ground and released a kick. The kick heated the air near Fuuki, it was an extremely beautiful attack that was aimed diagonally at her chest, more towards the wound on it.

Fuuki moved her arms lower and towards the center of her body, mentally preparing for impact.

Then the kick... struck.

* _BBBAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMM!_ *

Fuuki felt her consciousness fade momentarily.

The blow managed to send her flying across the ground while creating a huge fissure across the earth.

The strength behind that kick made Issei widen his eyes and Ericia to widen hers as well.

Fuuki was still flying across the plain, after composing herself she began turning her body trying to reduce the momentum she had.

Stabbing both of her legs on the ground she continued her flight, a new ravine was made due to this.

After finally stopping, a cloud of smoke covered her surrounding. The battlefield was left in ruins just from that kick alone!

After the dust was gone, Fuuki's figure was revealed. However, her arms were still on the defending position. This shocked Yae to no ends.

(How is she still blocking?! That kick was with all of my strength!) - Yae felt that Fuuki was an astounding rival.

Fuuki, however, was different.

(I can't move my arms...) - She noticed that all sense of touch was gone from her arms, they were just frozen solid.

(Did she just broke my arms? Even when I used all of my Tōuki and used my best defensive spells?!) - Fuuki was shocked as well.

After some seconds, she regained the sense of touch in her fingers. Opening and closing them continuously.

(Ok, they are pretty battered but fortunately, nothing is too broken. Maybe some cracks on my bones, but that's it.) - She was happy at this, at least her defense did something.

However, her momentarily sense of relief caused a gap.

Yae saw her opportunity and decided to strike. Twirling her Vajra around she unleashed a group of lightning bolts aimed at Fuuki.

Fuuki could barely move her arms, so while focusing she decided to work on something.

On the tips of the fingers of her right hand, small hexagons not bigger than a coin were present. They were of different colors and all were releasing miniscule particles of energy.

At the center of her palm a very defined Taijitu symbol appeared, spinning slowly.

On her other hand, five Talismans were present, all ready to be used. She threw them in the air and they floated in front of her. Soon they were consumed in flames and a pentagram shinning with a bright white/blue light covered all that was in front of her.

As the lightning reached her she said. - " _Camp_ _Turtle_ _Shield;_ _Evil_ _Supression!_ " - She moved her left hand in front of her.

* _BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM!*_

Consecutive lighting bolts struck the shield quickly reducing its light.

Fuuki felt the damage in her arms increase, cleary they were even more broken than before

However, at the same time she moved her right hand and screamed. - " _Nine_ _Suns_ _Revolving_ _Law!"_

On Yae's surroundings nine hexagons suddenly appeared, all different in color. Their size was bigger than a person and the power they released was second to none!

(Damn!) - Yae kept spamming lightning bolts towards Fuuki wishing to shatter her defense.

Little by little she was doing it, but Fuuki's spell reached her first.

From within the hexagons; thick, different-colored lasers were shot all towards her. The nine brilliant flashes of light—that were similar to the sun, reached her almost immediately.

Yae saw this and left her offense aside. Her body had a light-red aura all over it, the same as her ears and hair.

* _BBOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!_ *

The entire field quaked from the force of impact, that spell was on a different level entirely! The heat and power it had was astounding, clearly a blow aimed for a kill!

The entire field turned into a hot smoking fragment of the sun! The heat was so high that a part of the surroundings crystalized, and the rocks at the distance melted!

Even the spectators needed to used some form of defense to withstand just the aftershock!

Issei used his Darkness and covered himself and Ericia, creating something similar to a wall.

Ericia decided to help, and her shadow surrounded the both of them. From it, spikes that were as many as the stars in the sky and as dark as an abyss came out. Trying to reduce the aftershock before it reached the main line of defense.

Shiva crossed his arms and surrounded himself with an ash-grey aura. That was the Divinity of the God of Destruction!

Parvati focused her own Divinity and created a wall in the shape of a rhombus, it was shining with a brilliant gleam, and had all the colors of the rainbow.

Issei wanted to stop the duel before the spell activated, but he was not fast enough!

(Shit! Fuuki, you crazy fox?!) - He thought.

* _FOOOOSSSHHH!_ *

The aftershock reached them but their defenses withstood it.

At the moment the explosion stopped, something could be seen.

From the crater a single silhouette could be distinguished, the ground underneath her was untouched, creating a small erath pillar. But her surroundings could only be described as a Hell of Fire and Flames.

She was covered by a gold armor with a stylish design, and a huge Divinity could be seen from it. It was gold with a red tinge and covered the whole armor, protecting her from any kind of harm.

" _O' Sun, Become_ _Armor!_ " - Yae yelled while the light of the gold armor increased in density, extinguishing the flames in her surroundings.

Issei looked at the armor and realized something.

(That! Could it be?!) - For the first time, since talking to Shiva that night, he was amazed.

The gold armor covered Yae's whole body, not a single gap could be seen. Only her head was free from a helmet, but her cheekbones had some gold plating as well as the back of her neck.

A huge, red ring was behind her, seemingly attached to her back. Her Pauldrons covered the sides of her face and she had a pair of oversized gauntlets on both arms, it seemed to be a double layer of armor on that part. Her legs were clad in high-heeled gold boots with a red sole.

All in all, an armor that was extremely pleasing to the eye. But the amount of Energy and Divinity they felt from it scared them a bit.

Issei turned his head and looked at Shiva, ready to ask but he was stopped by him.

Shiva only extended a hand and nodded his head, Issei widened his eyes at his unsaid answer.

Ericia at his side asked. - "Issei! What's that armor?! It has such power even from a distance!" - She was startled a bit.

However, before he could say something, Yae answered her question.

While looking at the exhausted Fuuki, who was sweating bullets, she yelled.

"This is the armor my blood-father once had. This is the Armor of the son of the Sun God! The Armor that was said to grant invulnerability!" - Yae said while smirking, but she thought differently.

(The Fox forced me to use my Armor, that's amazing!) - She held respect. - (But I can't use it for long, it's too taxing on my body and I still can't control it properly.) - But was also serious.

As she stood Yae felt some blood in her throat, that blow still hurt her pretty badly, her organs were in a mess and she could feel that her senses were off. Her vision was a bit blurry, but she managed to survive in quite a decent state.

(If I hadn't summoned the armor on time then that would have been the end of the match. I would have ended up in bed for at least a week before I could properly heal.) - As the aura of the armor began to decrease she decided her next course of action.

"Haa...Haaa...Haaa..." - Fuuki was breathing heavily, that attack took a huge toll on her reserves.

Her figure was disheveled and fatigue was visible in her eyes.

(She's acting tough.) - Fuuki deduced, as she sensed her enemies Life-Force with her Sage Arts.

(That blow did some bad damage to her, but she's hiding it well.) - She was proud of what she accomplished.

(I cannot fight much longer...) - Her wound on her chest was still not healed and her reserves were close to being empty, she needed to end this, and fast.

(She's strong I'll give her that. Quite amazing as a matter of fact. But! I won't let her be near my Ise!) - The light in her eyes returned, this time she was prepared!

Yae knew that her opponent was also in an extremely bad situation, she could hear her heavy breaths and she knew that her first spear strike was still damaging her even now.

Yae then looked at the sides, towards the 'spectator seats'. She saw Issei, her father, her mother, and Ericia, all ready to intervene.

(I won't give up!) - Her aura flared and surrounded her armor.

After that the red aura started to gather in front of Yae, just as she placed both of her hands in front. The palms were open and the energy was condensing in the shape of a circle with them as a medium.

As the Aura was compressed, Yae smirked.

On the other hand, her opponent—as well as the spectators, felt the density of that sphere of energy and were amazed, some more than others.

Shiva and Parvati had smiles on their faces, both full of pride and satisfaction.

Issei and Ericia prepared to move to another part of the field. To be honest, that sphere of red energy and heat gave them goosebumps.

Fuuki knew that the sphere was really bad for her, so she gathered her remanding energy she prepared another Onmyōdō Talisman.

Yae looked at Fuuki with a steel-like determination, then she said. - " _O' Brahma,_ _Cover_ _the_ _Earth!"_

The sphere exploded into a thin laser-beam that was no thicker than a branch, but the speed it had was astounding, even for Fuuki she couldn't see it properly.

Fuuki activated her Talisman and said. - " _Soaring_ _Heavenly_ _Legs!_ " - The Talisman melted into her legs, and gifted a brilliant white light.

Not a second after, the laser-beam reached her. Using her entire strength and whatever she could think of, Fuuki moved at her right side, dodging the laser by no more than a few centimeters.

The laser traversed and went after the spectators.

Issei and Ericia moved to the side with all of their speed. Issei covered his body in his Darkness and pulled Ericia towards him, successfully dodging the beam.

As they did that a huge explosion occurred behind them.

* _BBOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!_ *

They turned around and saw the land behind them covered by a huge explosion that reached the 'ceiling' of the field.

"...Damn..." - Ericia said while looking at the destruction.

(I bet her destructive power is even above mine...) - Issei thought while looking at the distance.

[...…] - Ddraig didn't say anything, but he secretly agreed with his Partner.

Back to the battlefield, Yae tried to move the beam towards Fuuki but she couldn't do much. Her internal wounds were heavy and that attack caused even more exhaustion and stress on her body. She was unable to continue her plans, so the beam disappeared.

"Haa...Haa...Haaa..." - Her breath was heavy and her face was a bit pale, the armor she had was also becoming a bit dimmer, as it would vanish at any second.

Fuuki lifted her exhausted body and looked at her rival. - "That...was...close..." - Her breath was unstable.

Still, she stood straight and stood on guard, after that she moved towards Yae.

* _CRAAAACK!_ *

The ground cracked and Fuuki was sent flying towards Yae thanks to the power of her legs.

Yae saw this and steading her breath, she concentrated the aura of the armor and solidified it once again.

She lifted her arms up in an 'X' while covering her head.

At the same moment, Fuuki appeared above her, her body did a full front-flip and her leg struck her armored arms.

* _CLAAAANNNNNGGGG!_ *

The sound of metal getting struck echoed all over the field, it was similar to a bell that was just hit.

The floor underneath Yae dented, and the pillar of 'safe-land' she was standing on, broke.

* _BBOOOOOOOMMMMM!_ *

Yae was sent flying like a cannonball towards the bottom of the crater.

Fuuki created a Senjutsu circle underneath her as a platform and kneeled on it.

"That should have done something!" - The light in her eyes never vanished!

Yae, on the other hand, coughed a bit of blood, that blow was perfectly timed just before the armor was fully formed.

While opening her eyes, she glared at Fuuki, a bit of respect in those eyes. - "Tch!"

The armor was slowly vanishing and the fatigue began hitting her. However, she didn't give up.

She summoned her Vajra on her left hand and pointed it at Fuuki.

* _SIZZLE! SIZZLE! SIZZLE!*_

The crackle of lightning was heard and soon after, a huge lightning bolt was sent towards Fuuki.

Fuuki was surprised by the quick counter, so she could only use the circle beneath her a cover.

Soon the lightning struck.

* _BOOOOOMMMMM!_ *

A cloud of lightning formed in the place of Fuuki, causing the damage of the Lightning Bolt to increase.

A figure was sent flying from within that cloud, she was sent flying quite the distance away while her body smashed onto the ground.

Yae's Armor dissipated, turning into golden mist that was taken by the wind.

* _Cough!_ _Cough!_ * - Yae felt that her body was as heavy as lead. She coughed some more blood and with some trouble stood up.

She body was a mess, her right arm—that took the end of that last kick, had scratches and bruises all over it, it appeared to be broken quite badly. A long cut was on the same shoulder almost reaching her bone, some blood flowed down her shoulder to the tips of her fingers, painting the floor in red.

Her face was covered by dirt and blood with some scratches and few burns. Her ears were like normal except that they were sullied with boood. The clothes on her chest and abdomen were turned into tatters, showing her curves. Bruises could be seen from the gaps of her clothes, and some parts of them were stained with blood.

"Argh." - Using her left arm she grabbed her right and began walking up the crater...

At the same moment Fuuki stood up with some difficulty. Her sight was blurry, and she heard an annoying buzzing in her ears. Her black dress was torn until it was just covering a part of her chest, showing her wounded legs and her rear.

Both of her legs were covered by blood and scratches, some lighter than others. At the center of her chest a huge wound was present. It was oozing blood and caused Fuuki to be short on breath. Her arms were the same as her legs but had some 1st deegre burns on them, annoying her slightly.

Aside from a few scratches and a few droplets of dry blood, she was not wounded in her face.

Walking towards the crater, Fuuki took her time, she tried to use Senjutsu to heal some minor wounds but the lightning in her system just messed with her control.

As she walked, she witnessed Yae coming out of the crater. As soon as she saw her she smirked, this time not mocking her.

"Ok. I'll swallow my words back. You are strong, quite strong." - Fuuki said with some difficulty, not showing any weakness.

"I can say the same to you." - Yae replied while ignoring the pain in her body.

They looked at each other for some time and they smiled. Respect was present inside their eyes.

Fuuki then said. - "Welcome to the team."

She decide to swallow the loss, either way she was the closest to Ise right now. She was just weary of her.

Yae widened her eyes, she never expected this.

"Thanks." - She smiled.

Both of them walked closer, just until the were an arms length away.

The smiles on their faces were still there and newfound respect was inside their eyes.

"It doesn't matter if I lose. I'm still ahead of everyone." - Fuuki's smirk caused Yae to feel a sense of defeat.

She was silent, and couldn't refute her words. But then she asked.

"You decided to fight me not because of my strength, but rather to test my heart." - Yae said while feeling her consciousness fade.

"Yes." - She agreed. - "Issei has suffered a lot. I do not know how nor who caused it. But, I only wish for it not to happen again. I'll do my best to keep harmful people away from him, especially women." - Fuuki answered.

"I don't know what he experienced nor why he says he changed so much, but I won't let anything hurt him. And testing you was a way to see how you actually were, a fight shows the heart of people and it was neccesary for it to be done." - Fuuki finished explaining.

"You... You tested my resolve of being with him and you were even willing to experience it with your body, just to see how I was?" - Yae asked.

"Yes. If it's for him, I'll do it as many times as I can. He's my reason for being here after all." - Yae was amazed at the resolve of the woman.

"...…" - She was silent, only staring at the woman.

Soon she reached a conclusion, fire filled her eyes and Fuuki saw this.

"...I will be the same as you..." - She muttered while clentching her fists.

"I will be someone precious to Issei-san! I'll stand by his side at all moments even if the entire world is against us! I, Yae Rudra, last of the Moon Rabbits and daughter of Shiva, swear to be at his side until the end!" - Her pride as a Moon Tabbit was seen here.

Fuuki was amazed at this, seems her decision was not wrong. But her thoughts were stopped when she heard some words.

"Also, not because you're first does it mean that there's no hope!" - She smiled.

"I'll show you all, that my feelings for him are extremely strong and unwavering! I will become his woman!" - Her face reddened at those words.

Fuuki was angered by this, her face was red from anger.

"I was wrong! You're definitely a threat! I won't let you do as you please!" - Fuuki said while Yae smiled.

* * *

.

After that fight, Parvati was nice enough to heal both of them. Their fight was incredible but they still broke the rules. So Issei was extremely angered at them.

As the two were on the ground barely concious Issei was looking at them with eyes that promised some kind of punishment.

Ericia was at his side, also looking a bit angered.

Shiva was looking at Yae and at Issei, alternating between each other. She saw how her daughter's face changed from red to blue, due to the eyes of Issei. Her ears were down and when she tried to smile Issei narrowed his eyes, causing her ears to twitch.

"Ha! Ha!" - Fuuki mocked Yae.

Issei then looked at her, causing her to flinch and turn her head away. Yae saw this and revealed a mocking grin on her face.

Issei then looked at her once again, causing her smile to freeze.

"Haaa..." - Issei sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose.

"Ok. I don't know why you took it too far, but I'm going to be honest." - He opened his eyes and looked at them.

"You won't do it again. Understand?" - His smile caused them to feel chills.

* _Nod!_ _Nod!_ * - Both nodded their heads immediately.

Issei watched them and nodded his head once, then his eyes softened a bit and he began talking with his warm but sharp voice.

"Since no one has a problem with Yae joining us, I'll say where are we going next." - His words caught the attention of all of his team.

Ericia stood at his side and looked at him, her eyes shinning with expectations.

Yae and Fuuki also stared at him, his natural air gave him charisma and decisiveness. Both of their eyes held a dreamy look, soon they were both lost in his eyes.

"We're going to Germany. There's a place I need to go to because of certain reasons." - He said while looking at the three of them.

Parvati was still healing the pair of women, her face full of smiles. She knew why they were going.

"Why there Issei?" - Ericia asked while looking at him.

He was silent, his silence caused Ericia to narrow her eyes, even Fuuki and Yae knew that something was amiss...

Sighing, Issei decided to answer the question. - "I need information about a certain... medicine." - His words caused all the girls to widen their eyes.

However, it was Ericia who asked. - "Medicine? For what?"

"...…For my Lifespan." - His words caused the women to widen their eyes.

"Issei! What do you mean by that?!" - Ericia acted out of character and yelled at him. Her face was filled with anger and worry. Anger because he was silent all of this time, and worry because of his safety.

"Issei-san! Are you going to be okay? You can't leave Yae alone, understand! Understand?!" - Yae tried to stand up, but she couldn't move as she wished.

"Ise! What happened? How it happened?!" - Fuuki was extremely anxious.

"Do not worry. It's not much to worry about." - He decided to lie, he knew that later on this was going to bite him in the ass, but for know, he didn't want them to worry.

Ericia crossed her arms under her chest and said. - "Explain. Now." - She basically ordered him with her sharp eyes.

"Remember the Goddess?" - He decided to tell half of the truth, more-or-less...

The two nodded their heads. Yae just tilted hers, she didn't quite understand.

"Well, remember how we dealt the final blow and got out of there?" - He asked once again.

They nodded once again.

"Issei where are you get—" - Ericia said but soon widened her eyes and recalled something.

Issei noticed this and sighed again.

"Seems you've figured it out." - He lifted the corner of his mouth.

Ericia looked at him with shock. She just remembered that! She felt terrible for forgetting something so important, she felt like the dumbest person in the world!

"As a last resort, to deal the final blow to that Goddess, I used my Lifespan as a source of energy. So you could say that I lost a bit of it. Also, the last portal we used to escape consumed a fair share of my Lifespan, so according to Ddraig I need a treasure which helps me recover the lost Life Force." - He lied through his teeth.

(They are going to beat me up when they know the truth.) - He thought.

[Indeed.] - Ddraig agreed to his words.

His words caused Yae to widen her eyes, she was shocked!

She felt how her body recovered most of her strength, so she stood up and went towards him.

"And why you kept this form us until know?!" - Yae yelled while standing on the tip of her toes, matching his height just barely.

"Because it's nothing much. You'll just worry for nothing." - Issei shrugged his shoulders.

"You're lying! You're definitely lying!" - Ericia said while moving her arms erratically.

"You probably thought it was too troublesome! Right!?" - Fuuki commented while pouting.

This surprised Issei, but he agreed.

"Hn!" - He nodded his head. - "You know me well."

"You idiot!" - She said while pulling a paper fan out of nowhere and hitting him in his head, her eyes held unsheath tears.

Issei ignored the hit from that fan, he felt nothing at all from it.

"Anyway, we need to go to an Alchemy Guild. They should have some information about Medicines and Treasure from the Heavens and the Earth which can affect Dragons." - He said ignoring the pouting Yae that tried her best to be angry at him.

"I see..." - Ericia nodded her head, understanding what he meant.

"That why you've been reading all about Alchemy!" - Fuuki said, giving him an accusatory glare.

"Indeed." - He agreed once again, his plan was going better than he thought.

"You see, us Dragons are mases of pure energy, and as such only the strongest and most rare medicines can affect us." - He explained, making everyone understand.

"Even more if it's a Dragon that has awoken his Aura. So it should be pretty tough to find a Treasure like that, but according to Ddraig a Treasure of that level hasn't been born in quite some time, so I have literally nothing to worry about." - She placed his hands inside his pockets.

While the woman assimilated the information, Parvati finished healing Fuuki and stood up. She walked and reached her husband's side.

Ericia then decided to ask something. - "How much did you lose?" - Issei sighed, but he decided to still continue his plan.

(Seems like I'll lie about it too, huh. Anyway it's better this way, I don't want them to worry too much.) - He thought while looking at the three women.

"I lost... a thousand years." - He said while sighing. Mentally wishing for his lie to succeed.

His words caused the three woman to widen their eyes. Shock clearly present inside of them.

"""A thousand?!""" - They yelled at the same time, not really believing his words.

"Yes. But according to Ddraig, Dragons live for more than ten-thousand years so it's nothing to worry about." - He tried to calmed them down.

Ericia was about to yell at him; saying how could it be nothing?! But she stopped herself, Issei was always like this and she knew it.

Yae was at his side, her eyes were opened to the max. She was scared at this revelation, she clutched her hands and turned them into fists. Even her rabbit ears were against her head.

Fuuki stood up and walked closer to Ise, she grabbed his arm and looked into his eyes. She was worried about this, really anxious as well.

Issei saw her reaction and smiled a bit, she moved his hand on her head and gave her a head pat, making the woman blush and smile sheepishly.

He felt bad about lying but it was needed for now, later on he will pay for it. - (Ahh... the beating I'll receive...) - He thought.

At the same moment, Yae walked closer to him. She stood in front of him and while blushing she hugged him, clearly trying to console him.

Issei was startled by this but smiled, his eyes became soft and warm an expression only reserved for his most trusted ones.

Ericia went to his free side and grabbed his hand. This caused him to feel even more shock.

Her red eyes held concern, she was troubled by all of this.

Issei widened his eyes at this, he noticed how on each side he held a beauty that was capable of toppling an Empire with just a smile. They were definitely one in a billion, and he was extremely happy that they were worried for him.

"Thanks." - He said with a gentle voice, something rare in him.

The women were amazed by this, but all of them gifted him beautiful smiles.

"Yes!" - Yae closed her eyes and smiled while feeling touched. Her smile was similar to a Goddess, warming his heart

"~Iseee~"- Fuuki smiled in a mischievous way but also held an air of happiness. Her eyes were shining like a pair of gems and made him feel relaxed.

"Hn." - Ericia nodded her head and gifted him a rare smile. Her beauty and nobility was astounding at that moment. He smirked at this.

" _Cough!_ _Cough!_ " - The sound of some coughing awoke them from their dreamland.

Fuuki and Yae were blushing. They stood at his side while fidgeting in their spots. Ericia released his hand and looked at the other side, her face definitely had a blush.

"Sorry about interrupting the sweet moment, but I want to give you this." - Parvati extended her hand. She held a black box on her hands.

Issei tilted his head, but he decided to receive the box.

"~Open it!~" - Parvati insisted, Issei onky nodded his head.

He opened the black box and inside it two things were present.

Yae saw this and widened her eyes until she couldn't do it more. Her ears stood tall and she turned to look at her mother, shock all over her face.

"Bracelets?" - Issei said while looking at the pair of metallic bracelets inside the box.

"~Yes!~" - Parvati replied.

"Those are bracelets that my husband and I had before we married. They represent our promises to look after the other and protect each other." - Parvati smiled while she recalled past memories.

"They mean that we will stay by each other and help in whatever is needed." - Parvati was serious.

Issei looked at her and looked at Shiva. The first smiled beautifully the second looked expressionless but his eyes seemed to be hoping for something.

"I'm giving them to you two now." - Parvati smiled omce again.

"Why?" - Asked Issei, he knew that these two were artifacts that held too much emotional value fo them, why gifting them?

"Because we no longer need them. They are for you and Yae as a goodbye gift." - Parvati smiled in a mysterious way, she looked at Yae and smirked.

Issei was watching the pair of bracelets. They were small in size barely covering the wrist. Both were a deep blue in color with a silver lining, the metal they were made of was light and barely weighted something.

Many engravings were all over the bracelets, all of them were different but gave the bracelet a sense of beauty that few things could match it. At the center, a clear jewel was present, it was not big, barely the size of a small pebble.

Issei was amazed by the bracelet, he never had seen such a beautiful piece of jewelry.

Yae however, was frozen on her spot. She turned to look at her mother, ready to say something, but Parvati winked at her and smiled. Yae blushed until she was as red as possible, her hands fidgeted around, and she was moving from one side to the other.

Parvati smiled when she saw this, it seemed Yae knew what this meant.

"~Issei-kun!~ We gave you this as a reminder of your promise with us and to yourself." - She said while giggling slightly.

"I see..." - Issei grabbed a bracelet and placed it around his right wrist. Ericia and Fuuki looked at it, in a sense they didn't like it, their senses were telling them that something was a bit off.

"~Come!~ ~Come!~" - Parvati waved at him.

Issei walked closer to her, Yae was also told the same.

"The center on the jewel needs to be filled with the aura of the other." - She said that, but Issei was feeling suspicious.

Yae was standing in front of him, her face all red. This only served as a clue to what it meant, but he was forced to stop his thoughts.

"Anyway, do it. You need to leave, right?" - Parvati interrupted him, he left his suspicions aside when he saw her eyes staring at him.

Shiva walked closer to them, he stood at the side of his wife, his arms crossed underneath his chest.

Issei nodded his head, he extended his hand and touched the jewel on Yae's bracelet, she did the the same.

Soon they auras surrounded their bodies. Issei had his black-colored aura with a red tinge and shinning in a purple light. Yae, was surrounded with a blue aura similar to the moon, however, it was also mixed with a lightish red.

After some seconds the clear jewels changed colors and became the same tone as their auras. Yae had a black jewel with a red tinge on the center and the surroundings were shining with a dim purple light.

Issei, on the other hand, had a light blue jewel with a light red center, its surroundings had a white aura that reminded him of moonlight.

"~Great!~" - Parvati clapped her hands, seemingly relieved. Shiva nodded his head and lifted the corner of his mouth, happy about this.

Issei looked at the jewel in the bracelet and was satisfied, it suited him rather well.

Yae looked at hers and smiled beautifully. She hugged her bracelet with a gleam in her eyes.

Ericia and Fuuki watched all of this with confusion. They didn't understand, what does it mean? But of one thing they were sure, it wasn't just a goodbye gift.

"With this is the goodbye, Yae." - Parvati went and hugged her daughter, she was sad at saying goodbye.

Shiva went close to Issei and his Team and said. - "Take care of my daughter, I'll leave her in your care. Also, take care of yourself, we don't want you to end up to battered and bruised in another Faction." - He smirked at this.

Issei nodded his head, so did Ericia and Fuuki. Issei extended his hand and went for a handshake.

"I promise I'll take good care of her." - Shiva completed the handshake.

Meanwhile, Parvati whispered something into the ears of Yae. - "Don't let him go. We already did what we could, the rest is up to you." - Yae blushed at this and looked at the bracelet, nevertheless, she nodded her head.

"Don't worry mother! Yae will definitely make him fall for me!" - She said with stars in her eyes.

Parvati remebered a Legend inside her head, a Legend she heard from her husband.

(The Moon Rabbits only love once for life, and they remain loyal till the end of times.)

Parvati hugged her daughter and let go of her. Yae went towards Issei and her father.

As she reached them, she gave her father a hug, it looked kind of funny considering their height.

"Take care father! Yae will visit you when she has time." - She smiled.

"Hn." - He nodded his head. - "Enjoy your travels Yae. And also, succeed with your goals." - He smirked, causing Yae to blush.

Issei then said something. - "Before I forget, Yae could you stand over there." - He pointed at an empty patch of land.

"Sure?" - She nodded her head and did as told.

Issei used his ' **Hell** **Gate** ' and took two articles out. A smartphone and a briefcase.

He then turned the phone on and went to the sole app it had. He tapped on the 'scan' button and a camera app filled the scream.

Soon after a small light scanned Yae from the top to the bottom. Two minutes passed like that until her information appeared on the screen.

 _"Name: Unknown. Race: ? Specific Race: ? Level: High-Tier Low-God. Possible Pieces: '8 Pawn Pieces', 'Queen Piece', 'Two Rook Pieces', 'Two Knight Pieces', 'Any of the Former Mutated'."_

* _Whistle!_ * - Issei was amazed once again by this, as always his Team is filled with monsters.

"I know what will be perfect." - He decided to use a certain piece, the pair of what he used last time with Ericia.

He grabbed his 'Mutated Rook' and placed it on Yae's hand. He then smirked at her causing her to giggle.

" _Would_ _you,_ _Yae_ _Rudra,_ _become_ _my_ _Mutated_ _Rook_ _for_ _this_ _battle_ _until_ _victory_ _is_ _achieved?_ " - His voice was deep and serious.

Yae gave him a beautiful smile and while nodding her head she said. - "Yes!"

Them a crimson light filled the field and the Piece started to float in front of Yae and after that, it sunk into her chest.

The light died down and Yae was left standing there, a confused look on her face.

Issei checked the app. On the other Rook position a photo of Yae appeared, her information was also there. Issei decided to eliminate the photo like he always does only leaving her first name like with the rest.

"Great. With this, you're part of the Game officially, Yae." - He said.

She nodded her head, the confusion she felt was gone.

Issei felt that everything that needed to be done was already done. So he was satisfied with everything until now, turning around he looked at Fuuki.

Issei then said. - "Use it." - Fuuki nodded her head and prepared herself for leaving.

Her voice echoed all over the plain field and a green aura surrounded her body.

" _Break_ _the_ _Boundary_ _between_ _Worlds_ , _Yasakani_ - _no_ - _Magatama_. _Transfer!_ " - On her wrist a bracelet with several green magatamas expanded.

It covered the area behind them and expanded itself until it could cover the bodies of the four of them. Then in began to spin and started to create a huge hole in space itself.

The Yasakani-no-Magatama successfully activated.

"Well, it's time to go. Thanks for everything Parvati-san, Shiva-san we'll take our leave." - Issei decided to add suffixes since he felt it was needed, at least with them.

They noticed this and smiled, it seems that the Dragon finally opened up to them.

"Yae, lets go. We have things to do and the Tournament is a Month and a half away." - Issei said while looking at Yae.

"Yes!" - She smiled and walked closer to him. She stood at his side, Fuuki saw this and walked near Issei grabbing his arm, she basically took it from Yae's reach.

"~Hmm~" - Fuuki smirked proudly and began walking towards the portal. Soon both Issei and her crossed it.

Yae stood there and watched the Fox take him. Her eyes open in shock.

"That-That-That Problematic Fox!" - She yelled while fuming and walking towards the portal, anger in her face. Soon she crossed it as well.

Ericia was left for last. She smirked at this and thought about her own plans. - "This will certainly be interesting."

She walked slowly towards the portal while thinking on letting those two fight so that she could reap the spoils of War.

As she crossed the portal, it started to decrease in size until it vanished, leaving only Shiva and Parvati.

They stood still for less than a minute looking towards the place their daughter just went through.

"~HuHuHu~" - Parvati giggled. Shiva at her side sighed.

"Were the bracelets necessary?" - He asked. His wife turned her head and looked at him.

"We just gave her a little push." - She grabbed his arm and rested her cheek on top of his head.

"Besides, wasn't it you who wished for this? You have been talking to me about the Sekiryuutei ever since the War against that Beast ended. Shouldn't the father be the one that doesn't want his daughter to go with a man?" - She teased him.

Shiva sighed at the comment of his wife.

"It was needed, she had been alone for more than two hundred years. Only training and sparring, walking around Mount Kailash and the exterior. She has only been to the Human World not more than twice, it was something that was needed." - He said.

"Yae needs to go outside, so my plan was to ask the Sekiryuutei for a hand. Never would I have thought that the proud Moon Rabbit and our daughter would fall for him." - He sighed.

Parvati giggled at this. - "Indeed, quite the surprise. In all, the sense, of the word~"

Shiva sighed again. - "And the Moon Rabbits only love once in their life, this was just like the work of fate..."

Parvati giggled even more. - "He charmed our daughter the moment she first laid eyes on him. Quite nostalgic, right?~" - She teased once again, probably referring to their own past.

"..…." - He was silent, neither agreeing nor refuting.

"Anyway, the bracelet was just a safety measure. By our costumes they are together. What's left is for Yae to finally conquer his heart." - Shiva said while walking towards the main door, his wife at his side.

"~Indeed!~ She will succeed, of that I'm sure~ She's my daughter after all!" - Parvati smiled brightly.

"Yes, she will succeed. She's as stubborn as you and as careful as me. She will just need time, although the same could be said to the Drake."

"I don't know what happened to him, but it was something bad. I knew it since the moment I saw him, after all it felt odd when I saw him." - Parvati removed her teasing face and stated seriously.

"Hn." - Shiva nodded his head. - "Whatever it was, it broke him." - He remembered their talk a few days ago.

"The trust I had was destroyed, not a piece of it remains till this day. Believe me, Shiva. Trust takes a long time to form and seconds to break. And when it breaks, it leads to betrayal..." - His words were something he still remembers.

"And betrayal is something that never comes from your enemies." - He narrowed his eyes at this. He had many guesses, but unless Issei Hyoudou came and answered his questions, then they will remain as what they are, guesses.

Parvati saw the serious glint in the eyes of her husband. She was also curious about it.

(What exactly happened to you Issei-kun? To say such words, I hope this is nothing too bad...) - She thought.

Shiva had... different ideas.

(Unknowingly he has a lot of political power. The Norse Faction adores him and the Greeks respect him due to his achievements. For The Three-Biblical-Factions, he's basically the pillar of support.) - He kept walking towards the door.

(And now after what happened, he has the backing of the entire Hindu Pantheon. If he asks for my help I will go, my sons as well. And my army respects him a bit too much. If they discover what his social standing is right now, then his positon will rise by a big margin...) - He thought.

"Haaaa..." - For the first time, he openly sighed. His wife stared at him a bit surprised.

"Only time will tell." - He decided to leave this for another time. Parvati understood him and decided the same.

Soon they left the field inside Mount Kailash. The sound of footsteps echoed inside the empty field.

What would exactly happen after all of this? That's a question that the God of Destruction kept asking to himself...

* * *

 **END**

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(Edited Random Day Around April)

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Oh my lord, my buddha, my whatever you pray to. That took a looong while, I'm serious. I needed to rewrite this bad boy five times! More than 90k words gone. Everytime I remember I want to cry...

Anyway, first of all, special thanks to my Beta Reader! (Yes I have one.) Alabahmaman!

He gave me a lot of advice and it's basically due to him that I finished the chapter. Honestly I was so frustrated since I kept disliking how it turned up that I just deleted it and began from scratch. So thank him, its thanks to him that you guys got an update.

Also, thanks to a special someone that gave me the idea of Issei meeting Shiva. You know who you are, after all, you have a part of his name in your username. *Cheeky Smile.*

Also and apology, between the rewrite and some hard stuff in real life I was delayed by well, some time. An apology for that. I hope that the next chapter doesn't take that long, my slave driver-I mean my Beta Reader, is helping me so don't worry... too much.

Regardless, I hope you guys liked the Chapter I am extremely satisfied by how it turned out. Next Chap is a surprise! It's going to be quite something, but for now, I'll focus on my midterms and the Projects the sadistic bastard-I mean my professors have for me.

But I won't drop the story, so do not worry for that at all!

Also, thanks for everyone's kind words they really, really mean a lot. Thank you for understanding and say that this story in amazing! Keeps my blood pumping!

Well Thanks for Reading and...

See you Later!


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